Crew Loaded Labor Cost Calculator — Rex's Toolbox

Rex says

Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.

Try a scenario

Click to load — tweak from there.

Inputs

Base hourly wage($)

Payroll tax burden (FICA + FUTA/SUTA)(%)

Workers' comp rate(%)

Benefits load (health, PTO, etc.)(%)

Overhead allocation per hour($)

Result

Total loaded hourly rate

$28.80

Burden cost per hour

$5.80

Loaded rate before overhead

$25.80

Total load over base wage

44%

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How to use this

1Enter base hourly wage ($).
2Enter payroll tax burden (fica + futa/suta) (%).
3Enter workers' comp rate (%).
4Enter benefits load (health, pto, etc.) (%).
5Enter overhead allocation per hour ($).
6Read your total loaded hourly rate on the right — it updates as you type.
7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

The wage you write on a paycheck is never the real cost of an employee. Payroll taxes, workers' comp (which runs high in physically demanding trades), unemployment insurance, and benefits stack on top of base wage to create the true 'loaded' rate that should drive every pricing decision. This calculator builds that number from the ground up so job quotes are based on real cost, not just gross wage.

FormulaLoaded rate = base wage × (1 + payroll tax rate + workers' comp rate + benefits rate) + fixed per-hour overhead allocation.

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

Base hourly wage: 20 $
Payroll tax burden (FICA + FUTA/SUTA): 9 %
Workers' comp rate: 12 %
Benefits load (health, PTO, etc.): 8 %
Overhead allocation per hour: 3 $

Results

Total loaded hourly rate: $28.80
Burden cost per hour: $5.80
Loaded rate before overhead: $25.80
Total load over base wage: 44%

What each field means

Inputs

Base hourly wage ($): The base hourly wage used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 20 $ so you have a working example on load.
Payroll tax burden (FICA + FUTA/SUTA) (%): The payroll tax burden (fica + futa/suta) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 9 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20 %.
Workers' comp rate (%): The workers' comp rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 12 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40 %.
Benefits load (health, PTO, etc.) (%): The benefits load (health, pto, etc.) used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 8 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–30 %.
Overhead allocation per hour ($): The overhead allocation per hour used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 3 $ so you have a working example on load.

Results

Total loaded hourly rate: Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Burden cost per hour: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Loaded rate before overhead: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Total load over base wage: Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

Why is workers' comp so high for home service trades?

Workers' comp rates are set by injury risk and claims history for the job classification. Landscaping, moving, and roofing/pressure washing crews carry high physical risk (lifting, ladders, machinery) and often see comp rates of 8-20% of payroll, compared to 1-3% for office work. A single bad claims year can push a small operator's rate even higher at renewal.

What's a realistic total load percentage over base wage?

Most home service operators see total load (taxes, comp, benefits) land between 25% and 45% over base wage. A $20/hour employee with 35% load costs $27/hour before any overhead allocation. If your pricing model still uses base wage as the labor cost input, you're understating true cost by a third or more.

Should overhead be included in loaded labor rate?

It depends on how you want to use the number. For job costing and bid pricing, yes, roll in a per-hour overhead allocation (rent, insurance, admin salaries, vehicle depreciation) so the price of every job covers its share of fixed costs. For pure payroll budgeting, keep overhead separate and track loaded wage cost on its own.

Accuracy and limitations

Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.

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Cite this calculator

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APA

RevenueLab. (2026). Crew Loaded Labor Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/crew-loaded-labor-cost

HTML

<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/crew-loaded-labor-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Crew Loaded Labor Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>

Markdown

Source: [Crew Loaded Labor Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/crew-loaded-labor-cost) (2026).