Free calculator
Wage grows through burden and overhead into the rate to bid Four takeoff slabs: wage $35, after burden $45.50, after overhead $54.60, rate to bid $62.79. EXAMPLE · $35 WAGE WAGE $35.00 BURDEN $45.50 OVERHEAD $54.60 RATE TO BID $62.79

Contractor hourly rate calculator

Burdened labor rate calculator

Wage, employer burden, overhead, and desired margin — stacked in order — into the hourly rate you bid. This page is free. It is not the $39 Fieldkit workbook.

Your numbers

Starting example — replace with your wage.

Payroll tax, workers’ comp, benefits. Edit to match your shop.

Default 30%. Applied first, on wage.

Percent of labor, applied after burden.

Percent on loaded labor, applied last.

Rate to bid

$62.79/ hr

Loaded hourly rate after wage, burden, overhead, and profit.

Waterfall

Enter an hourly wage. The stack stays collapsed at $0.

Loaded rate waterfall Wage grows by burden, then overhead, then profit, into the rate to bid. WAGE $35.00 $35.00 + $10.50 burden AFTER BURDEN $45.50 $45.50 + $9.10 overhead AFTER OVERHEAD $54.60 $54.60 + $8.19 profit RATE TO BID $62.79 $62.79

wage × (1 + burden) × (1 + overhead) × (1 + profit)
$35.00 × 1.30 × 1.20 × 1.15 = $62.79

8-hour day

$502.32

Cost to bid at this rate. Straight time. No overtime, travel, or materials.

Order

Wage → burden → overhead → profit

Each percent multiplies the step before it. They are not added as a single lump.

Take it into the $39 Fieldkit

This calculator is free. The matching kit is Excel + Google Sheets, no macros — Setup, Estimate, one-page proposal, and Job Cost. Pick a trade; it opens FieldkitHQ on Etsy.

Roofer $39 list · $19.11 through Sep 13 → Electrician $39 list · $19.11 through Sep 13 → Plumber $39 list · $19.11 through Sep 13 →

FieldkitHQ · list $39 · $19.11 through Sep 13 · Excel + Google Sheets · no macros

Planning tool only. Not tax, payroll, insurance, or legal advice. Burden, overhead, and profit are your inputs — this page does not look up rates for your state, trade, or carrier. Default burden of 30% is a starting example, not a recommendation.