Labor
Hours × each worker’s wage
Use the hours actually worked on this job and each worker’s pay rate. Include an overtime premium when it applies. A crew’s combined hours are different from the number of days on site.
The Painter’s Log guide
Job costing for painting contractors.
Job costing means adding up the labor, materials and other direct costs of a painting job, then comparing those costs with the job price. It shows the job’s gross profit and how closely the work followed your estimate.
Start with the calculation. Then see how recorded hours and receipts become actual costs in Painter’s Log.
Follow a $5,000 jobWhat to count
Start with the full cost of the work.
Labor burden
The cost beyond the wage
Payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, insurance and benefits add to labor cost. Apply your company’s burden percentage to wages and overtime premiums; a $25 wage with 20% burden costs $30 an hour.
Materials
Purchases assigned to the job
Count paint, primer, masking supplies and additional purchases. Review receipts and assign the materials to the right job. The materials allowance in an estimate is a budget, not evidence of what you spent.
Other direct costs
Costs specific to this job
A lift rental, subcontractor or disposal charge can affect the result too. Account for these when reviewing profitability. The simple example below includes labor and materials only; it does not assume other costs are zero on your jobs.
Loaded labor, per worker
(Hours × wage + overtime premium) × (1 + burden rate)
Use 0.20 for a 20% burden, then add each worker’s cost.The worked example
A $5,000 repaint, worked through.
Assume 80 regular crew-hours at a $25 wage, 20% labor burden and $600 of materials. This is an illustrative completed job, with no overtime or other direct costs.
First, add up the job costs
| Cost | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Base wages80 hours × $25 | 80 hours × $25 | $2,000 |
| Labor burden$2,000 × 20% | $2,000 × 20% | $400 |
| Loaded labor$2,000 wages + $400 burden | $2,000 wages + $400 burden | $2,400 |
| MaterialsRecorded job purchases | Recorded job purchases | $600 |
| Total job cost$2,400 labor + $600 materials | $2,400 labor + $600 materials | $3,000 |
Then compare cost with price
Job gross profit
$2,000
$5,000 price − $3,000 cost
Job gross margin
40%
$2,000 profit ÷ $5,000 price × 100
Job gross profit is not company net profit or cash collected. General business overhead and other expenses can still reduce what the company earns.
Try the numbers
The price is fixed.
The cost can change.
Use the same $5,000 job. Add 20 crew-hours and the labor cost rises by $600. Add a $150 paint receipt, and gross profit falls to $1,250: a 25% margin.
What this example includes
$25 wage · 20% burden · $600 starting materials. Regular hours across the crew, with no overtime or other direct costs.
While a job is running, costs are only costs to date. Check the labor and purchases still to come before reading the current margin as the final result.
Interactive example · adjust the hours and receipt
Lake house repaint
Illustrative job · $5,000 price
Job gross profit
$2,000
40%gross margin
Loaded labor
$2,400
Materials
$600
80 hrs
Move the hours. Add the receipt. Watch the margin.
Example assumptions
$25 wage + 20% configured burden = $30 per crew-hour. Regular hours across the crew; no overtime or other costs in this illustration. Gross profit excludes company overhead and is not cash collected.
Automatic job costing in Painter’s Log
The calculation is automatic.
The inputs still need your attention.
What Painter’s Log calculates
Hours become labor costs
Recorded job segments use each worker’s effective wage rate, your configured burden and your weekly overtime settings. Open segments contribute elapsed time when you load the figures.
Job records become actual costs
Assigned material purchases join labor in the job’s actual costs. Convert an approved estimate into a job to carry its labor and materials budgets into the comparison.
What you set up and review
Set the rates and rules
Enter pay rates, burden and weekly overtime settings. Burden starts at 0% and overtime starts off. Missing wage rates need attention before the job’s labor cost is complete.
Check the time and receipts
Crews clock in from their phone’s browser. With location enabled, job-site geofences assign that time to jobs. Review job assignments, travel and store time, then check extracted receipt details and assign purchases to the correct job.
Use your own figures
Find the cost of your crew’s hour.
The free hourly-cost calculator adds taxes, insurance and benefits to a wage, then gives you the burden percentage to enter in Settings. No account needed.
Questions
The details behind
the numbers.
How do I calculate labor cost for a painting job?
For each worker, multiply job hours by the wage rate, add any applicable overtime premium, then multiply by one plus the labor burden rate. Add the workers’ costs together. For example, 80 regular hours at $25 with 20% burden costs $2,400. Materials and other direct costs are additional.
Is gross margin the same as markup?
No. Margin divides gross profit by the job price; markup divides gross profit by cost. A $5,000 job with $3,000 of costs has $2,000 of gross profit: a 40% margin and a 66.7% markup. Neither figure is company net profit.
Can one employee’s day be split across multiple jobs?
Yes. Painter’s Log uses shift segments to record portions of a day against different jobs. With phone location enabled, job-site geofences can split the day as the worker moves. Travel and store segments without a job are flagged for review; you can correct assignments or confirm overhead.
How does overtime affect a split shift?
With weekly overtime enabled, the premium is calculated for the shifts that pass your configured weekly threshold. A split shift’s premium is allocated in proportion to segment duration, including its unassigned time. It is not spread across every job worked that week. Costing also applies your configured labor burden to the premium.
Can I see costs before a job is finished?
Yes. Elapsed time on open job segments and recorded materials contribute to costs when you load the figures. These are costs to date, not a forecast of the work remaining. Check remaining labor and purchases before treating the displayed margin as the final result.
Does labor burden change what employees are paid?
No. Labor burden increases the cost used for job costing, not the worker’s wage. The burden percentage represents employer costs such as payroll taxes, insurance and benefits. Weekly overtime is configured separately.
Can I try job costing without a paid plan?
Yes. The calculators work without an account. Painter’s Log also includes job costing on its usage-limited free plan. Free forever — 1% on payments while you're free, 0% on Pro. Payment processing fees also apply; the pricing page explains the plan limits.
Put it to work
Start with your next painting job.
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