Template & tool guide
Job labor cost calculator: the simple formula small businesses need
Labor cost starts with clean hours. HourFlow helps capture those hours by job so the math has something real to work from.
A calculator is only as good as the hours behind it
The basic formula is simple: job labor cost equals hours worked multiplied by labor rate. The hard part is knowing the true hours for each job.
How HourFlow helps
HourFlow helps owners collect job-based hours from the start, which makes labor cost calculations less dependent on memory or end-of-week estimates.
Example workflow
If a cleaning job takes 14 labor hours at a loaded labor rate of $28 per hour, labor cost is $392. If the job was priced assuming 10 hours, the margin problem is obvious.
Track job hours before they turn into lost profit
See where your crew's time actually goes.
Start using HourFlow on the next job, keep hours tied to the right client or task, and review labor before the work turns into guesswork.
Download HourFlow free for 30 daysRelated HourFlow guides
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Frequently asked questions
- How do you calculate labor cost per job?
- Multiply the total labor hours used on the job by the labor rate or loaded labor cost for those workers.
- What is loaded labor cost?
- Loaded labor cost includes wages plus related costs such as payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, or other labor expenses when applicable.
- How does HourFlow help with labor cost?
- HourFlow helps capture the job-level hours needed to run the calculation more accurately.
Track job hours before they turn into lost profit.
See where your crew's time actually goes. HourFlow helps small businesses track time by job, client, project, or task so labor records are easier to trust and invoices are easier to send.
Download HourFlow free for 30 days