GutterPilot › Free tools › True labor cost

What does an installer really cost you per hour?

The wage on the check is not what the worker costs. Add payroll taxes, workers comp, liability and benefits, then spread it across the hours you can actually bill. Price off the bare wage and your margin quietly disappears.

Built for gutter contractors No login, nothing stored Your real percentages

The worker

Start with the wage, then add your real burden. Defaults are typical ranges, edit them.

Hourly wage you pay

$/hr

Burden (percent of wage)

Payroll taxes

FICA, FUTA, SUTA.

Workers comp

Roofing/gutter class is high.

General liability

Benefits / PTO

Billable utilization

Share of paid hours that actually land on a billable job. Drive time, weather, and shop time pull this down.

True hourly cost

What this worker actually costs you per hour

Base loaded ratewage plus burden

Burden added

You pay this multiple of the wage

Hidden cost over the wage

$0/hr

Burden commonly runs 30 to 60 percent on top of the wage for gutter and roofing crews. Utilization divides the loaded rate across the hours you can actually bill. Confirm your real percentages with your bookkeeper or comp policy.

How the loaded rate is figured

Two steps, both straight from your numbers.

Base loaded rate = wage × (1 + total burden%). $22 + 33% = $29.26
True hourly cost = base loaded ÷ utilization. $29.26 ÷ 0.90 = $32.51
Burden is payroll taxes + workers comp + general liability + benefits, all as a percent of the wage.
Utilization is the share of paid hours that actually reach a billable job. Lower utilization means a higher true cost per billable hour.

This tool is free

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