This 2-minute calculator reveals the true hourly cost of your employees — including payroll taxes, benefits, downtime, and overhead. Most contractors only see the wage. This shows you everything.
See exactly how the calculator works before entering your numbers
2 minutes. No credit card needed.
Two modes — start simple, go deep. Toggle below to see both views exactly as they appear inside.
Most contractors run the numbers based on wages alone — and that's exactly where the margin bleeds out.
Payroll taxes, workers comp, benefits, vacation time, and unproductive hours all compound on top of the base wage — often adding 40–60% to what you think you're paying.
Even a $10/hr miscalculation can cost tens of thousands per employee annually. Scale that across a 10-person crew and you're looking at six figures in leaked margin every year.
Costs are usually discovered after the project is finished — not during estimating. By then, it's too late to reprice. The margin is already gone.
"This calculator uses industry benchmarks based on construction labor burden data and typical productive hours for field employees."— Built on real construction industry data. ProjectWatchPro.com