Free Tool · Labour Rate Calculator · 2026

Tradie Labour
Rate Calculator

Most tradies underprice their labour because they calculate cost-to-company, not cost-to-run. Enter your real numbers — what comes out is what you actually need to charge.

Your annual costs

What you want to take home before tax

Annual premium for PLI

Rego, insurance, fuel, maintenance

Replacement, hire, consumables

Accounting, phone, quoting software, licences

2026 rate is 11.5% — rising to 12% from 1 July 2026

Billable time & margin

Hours actually billed — not hours on site. Admin, travel and quotes are not billable.

Exclude annual leave, sick days, public holidays, training. 48w is realistic for most sole traders.

Most trade businesses target 20–35% gross margin.

What do Australian tradies charge per hour in 2026?

These are current market rates — not awards or minimum wages. These are what tradies running a proper business (with correct overhead loading) charge in 2026:

TradeNSW/ACTVICQLDWASA
Plumber$130–$165$125–$155$115–$145$120–$155$110–$140
Electrician$130–$165$125–$155$115–$145$120–$155$110–$140
Carpenter$95–$135$90–$125$85–$120$90–$125$80–$115
Tiler (per hr)$80–$110$75–$105$70–$95$75–$100$65–$90
Painter$60–$85$55–$80$50–$75$55–$80$50–$72
Concreter$80–$120$75–$110$70–$105$75–$110$65–$95

Why most tradies undercharge

Forgetting non-billable time
A 40-hour work week doesn't mean 40 billable hours. Admin, quoting, travel, supplier pickups and training aren't billed. Most sole-trader tradies bill 28–34 hours per week at most. If you're pricing based on 40 hours, you're immediately undercharging by 15–30%.
Not including super in the rate
Super is a real business cost — not optional. At $100/hr for 1,700 hours a year, forgetting to factor in 11.5% super is a $19,550 hole in your financials. It has to come from somewhere, and it usually comes out of your profitability.
Vehicle costs assumed to be personal
The ute is a business asset. Fuel, rego, insurance, tyres and maintenance are business costs that need to be recovered through your labour rate. If you're doing 30,000km/year in the work ute, that's $12,000–$18,000 in annual vehicle costs to recover.
Setting rates to match competitors, not to cover costs
Looking at what the tradie down the road charges isn't a pricing strategy. If they're cheaper than your cost-to-deliver, you're both losing money. Set your rate to cover your costs and hit your target margin first — then see how you compare.

Skip the manual work

Apply your labour rate automatically on every FMN quote.

Frequently asked questions

What should I charge per hour as a tradie in Australia in 2026?

Depends entirely on your trade, state and overheads. Electricians and plumbers in Sydney charge $130–$165/hr. Carpenters are typically $95–$135/hr. Painters are $60–$85/hr. But these are market rates — what you should charge is based on your specific cost structure. Use the calculator above to work out your minimum viable rate before comparing to the market.

How many billable hours per year can a tradie realistically expect?

Most sole-trader tradies bill 1,500–1,800 hours per year. That's 31–37 billable hours per week over 48 working weeks. The rest is travel, quoting, admin, supplier runs and non-billable site time. If you're planning your rate around 2,000 billable hours, you're setting yourself up to underperform on paper every year.

Should my labour rate include super or be separate?

Your charge rate should be set at a level that covers all your costs including super — you don't separate it out for the client. Super is your cost, not the client's. Build it into the rate you charge. At 11.5% on a $100,000 salary, that's $11,500/year you need to recover through your billable rate.

What overhead loading percentage should I add to my labour cost?

A typical sole-trader tradie in Australia needs 25–45% overhead loading on top of their wage to cover super, insurance, vehicle, tools, admin and non-billable time. Higher if you have apprentices or a yard. Lower if you work from home and your employer handles most overheads. Use the calculator to get a number based on your actual costs rather than guessing.