How loaded labor cost works
Contractor Co-Pilot calculates a loaded labor cost for each task type by combining the base hourly wage with a burden percentage. Burden covers payroll taxes, workers’ compensation, benefits, and other employer costs on top of the base wage. For example, a framing task with a 60.75/hr**. That loaded rate is what flows into your estimates by default, so your pricing always accounts for the full cost of putting someone on the job.Add a labor type
1
Open the Labor catalog
In the sidebar, go to Costs > Labor.
2
Create a new labor rate
Click New Labor Rate.
3
Fill in the details
Enter the following fields:
- Task name — The type of work this rate describes (e.g.,
Framing - Walls,Electrical Rough-In,Site Supervision) - Trade — The skilled trade or cost category (e.g.,
Carpentry,Electrical,General Labor) - Base rate — The hourly wage before burden
- Burden % — The percentage added on top of the base rate to arrive at the loaded cost
- Crew size — The number of workers typically needed for this task type; used when estimating labor hours for a crew rather than an individual
4
Save
Click Save. The loaded cost is calculated automatically and shown in the catalog row.
Import labor rates
If you maintain a rate sheet in Excel or CSV, import it to populate the catalog without manual entry.1
Click Import
On the Labor page, click Import.
2
Upload your file
Upload an
.xlsx or .csv file with a header row.3
Map columns
Match your columns to Task Name, Trade, Base Rate, Burden %, and Crew Size. Unmapped columns are skipped.
4
Review and confirm
Check the preview, then click Confirm Import.
Crew configurations
Crew size determines how many workers are associated with a task when you build an estimate. When you add a labor line item and specify a number of hours, the system multiplies by crew size to give you total man-hours and the corresponding cost.All labor and production figures in Contractor Co-Pilot use man-hours, not crew-hours. If you’re importing rate data from another source that uses crew-hours, convert before importing to avoid underpricing.
Organize with cost categories
Cost categories group labor types for reporting and for cost profile markup rules. Default categories include:- General Labor
- Skilled Trades
- Supervision
- Specialty Work
Unskilled and semi-skilled tasks: site cleanup, material handling, general labor support.
Filter and search
- Search — Find labor types by task name keyword
- Trade — Filter to a specific trade or cost category
- Custom views — Save your current filter combination for fast access later
Division-level rate overrides
If your organization has multiple divisions operating in different markets, each division can carry its own labor rates for the same task type. A division override takes precedence over the organization default when an estimate is created within that division. To set a division rate, open a labor type’s detail panel, go to the Division pricing tab, and enter the override values for each applicable division.Division pricing is available on the Growth plan and above. See Divisions for setup.
How labor rates flow into estimates
When you add a labor line item to an estimate, you can:- Search the catalog by task name — the autocomplete pulls from your labor types
- Select a match to auto-fill the loaded rate and crew size
- Enter the number of hours (or let a takeoff populate them)
- Override the rate or crew size for this specific line item if needed
Export
Click Export on the Labor page to download your full rate catalog as a CSV file.Next steps
Materials
Manage your materials catalog alongside labor.
Equipment
Add equipment rates to complete your cost database.
Cost profiles
Apply markup to loaded labor costs in estimates.
Divisions
Set up division-level rate overrides for regional pricing.