Tool 02

Burden Command

The wage you pay is not the cost of labor. Surface the true number.

Base hourly wage ($)

FICA / Social Security (%)

FUTA (%)

SUTA / State unemployment (%)

Workers' comp (%)

Benefits (%)

Overhead allocation (%)

Why this matters

A $25/hr employee costs $35–40/hr to employ. The gap — taxes, insurance, benefits, overhead — is the burden. Estimators who use the wage rate instead of the true cost underbid every single job.