HOME/FREE TOOLS/LABOUR BURDEN

Labour & staff

Labour burden calculator

The pay rate is only the start. Add super, leave, workers comp and overheads, spread over the hours you actually bill, and see what an hour of labour truly costs.

Pay & on-costs

The base rate and everything that sits on top of it.

Base hourly rate

The gross hourly wage you pay.Paid hours per week

hrs

Ordinary paid hours — usually 38 for full-time.Superannuation

The super guarantee is 12% from 1 July 2025.Workers compensation

Premium as a % of wages — varies by state and trade, often 1.5%–5%.Payroll tax

Only if your wages bill is over your state’s threshold — otherwise 0.Paid leave & holidays

wks

Weeks a year you pay but get no work — annual leave, public holidays and typical sick leave. Around 5–6 weeks all up.Other annual costs

PPE, tools, training, phone, uniforms, licences and a share of vehicle costs.Billable hours per week

hrs

Hours actually charged to jobs — usually less than paid hours once travel and admin come out.

Fully burdened hourly cost

$71.03/hr

A $42.00 base rate carries a 18% burden and, spread over billable hours, actually costs $71.03 for every hour on a job.

Base annual wage$82,992

Super + workers comp + payroll tax$12,034

Other costs$3,000

Total annual cost$98,026

Labour burden rate18%

Burdened cost per billable hour$71.03

Cost multiplier vs base rate1.69×

Store this burdened rate against each worker in traqR and every job costs labour at what it really costs you — so your margins are honest.

Start free trial

How it works

Add the indirect costs

Super, workers comp, payroll tax, PPE, training and vehicle costs all sit on top of the base wage. Together they’re the labour burden.

Express it as a rate

The burden as a percentage of the base wage is your labour burden rate — a quick way to compare the true cost of employing people.

Spread over billable hours

Divide the total cost by the hours actually billed to customers. That burdened hourly cost is the floor your charge-out rate has to clear.

Frequently asked questions

What is labour burden?

Labour burden is all the extra cost of employing someone beyond their base wage — superannuation, workers compensation, payroll tax, leave, PPE, training, tools and vehicle costs. The “labour burden rate” expresses those indirect costs as a percentage of the base wage, and the “burdened cost” is the true hourly cost once they’re all included.

What’s a typical labour burden rate for trades?

For most Australian trades employees the burden runs around 25–45% on top of the base wage before you even account for downtime. Super alone is 12%, and workers comp, leave, PPE and vehicles add the rest. Businesses that give staff a fully kitted vehicle sit at the higher end.

Why divide by billable hours instead of paid hours?

Because only billable hours earn revenue to cover the cost. You pay for 52 weeks but get fewer working weeks, and only part of each week is billable. Spreading the full cost over the hours you actually charge gives the real number your pricing must beat — often 1.5×–1.8× the base rate.

How is this different from the employee cost calculator?

They’re two views of the same thing. This tool leads with the labour burden rate and the burdened hourly cost — handy for pricing and estimating. The employee cost calculator breaks the full annual cost down in more detail. Use whichever framing fits the job in front of you.

This calculator is a general estimate, not financial advice. On-costs such as workers comp premiums and payroll tax vary by state, trade and employer, and leave and utilisation vary by person. Confirm your figures with your accountant and insurer.

Price labour at what it really costs

Store the burdened rate against each worker in traqR and every job costs labour honestly — protecting your margin. Try it free for 14 days.

Start free trial View pricing