Painting Employee True Cost Calculator
That $22/hr painter actually costs you $40 to $50 per hour. See the real number before you bid.
Employee Pay
What you pay this painting employee per hour, before any employer costs.
Country
Mandatory employer costs change by country. Select yours.
Mandatory Employer Costs
These are required by law. You pay them on top of every dollar of wages.
Benefits You Provide
Toggle on the benefits you offer. Only include what you actually pay for.
Productivity
Not every paid hour is productive painting work. Factor in drive time, paperwork, breaks, and downtime.
True Employee Cost
$0
per productive hour
$0
per paid hour
$0
fully loaded annual cost
Adjust the inputs on the left to see your numbers update in real time.
📤 Share This Tool
Know someone who could use this? Send it their way.
📊 Want the full picture?
Get a free business audit in under 5 minutes
We'll show you exactly where your business is leaking revenue and what to fix first. No sales pitch. Just the numbers.
Get Your Free Growth Report →Free. Takes 5 minutes. See where you stack up against top contractors.
True Employee Cost for Painting Companies
Painting contractors lose money in two places: prep time and labor burden. You know about prep time. But most painting company owners do not track the full cost of having a painter on the team.
A $22/hr painter costs $40 to $50 per hour when you add payroll taxes, workers comp (higher for exterior work), health insurance, vehicle costs, and equipment. Then factor in that your crew spends 25% to 35% of every day on setup, masking, cleanup, and moving furniture instead of painting.
This calculator shows you the real cost so you stop bidding jobs based on $22/hr math.
Mandatory Employer Costs for Painting
Mandatory costs for painters add 20% to 28% on top of wages. Employer FICA is 7.65%. State unemployment runs 2% to 4%. Workers comp for painting is 4% to 7%, with exterior work rated higher than interior. On a $22/hr painter, mandatory costs add $4.40 to $6.16/hr. For a 2 person crew working a full year, that is $18,300 to $25,600 in costs beyond wages.
The Productivity Gap in Painting
Painting crews spend more time on setup and cleanup than most owners realize. Masking, drop cloths, furniture moving, and cleanup consume 1 to 2 hours per day per crew. On a multi-day job, that is 12% to 25% of total labor hours. Prep work like scraping and caulking is additional time that many painting estimators undercount. If your total cost per crew is $180/day but they only paint for 6 of 8 hours, your cost per productive hour is $30 per painter, not $22.
Tips for Painting Employee Costing
- Estimate prep time separately from paint time. Walk the job and count every surface that needs scraping, caulking, or priming. That is where bids go wrong most often in painting.
- Exterior work has higher workers comp rates than interior. If you do both, ask your insurance agent about split classifications. It could save you 1% to 2% on your rate.
- A 2 person crew with a $600/month van and $150/month in equipment adds $4.33/hr in vehicle and equipment costs. That is $9,000/yr that needs to be in your bidding math.
- Track cost per square foot by job type (interior walls, exterior siding, trim). After 20 jobs, you will have a baseline that makes estimating faster and more accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a painter really cost per hour to employ?
A painter making $22 per hour costs $40 to $50 per hour in total employer cost. Mandatory payroll costs add 20% to 28%. Workers comp for painting runs 4% to 7% depending on whether the work is interior or exterior (heights increase the rate). With benefits, vehicle, and equipment, the burden multiplier is 1.8x to 2.3x base wages.
What is workers comp for painting contractors?
Workers comp for painters runs 4% to 7% of gross payroll. Interior residential painting is on the lower end. Exterior painting, especially on ladders and scaffolding, is rated higher due to fall risk. A $22/hr painter with a 5.5% workers comp rate costs $1.21/hr for that item. That is $2,517 per painter per year just for injury insurance.
What is the labor burden rate for painting companies?
Painting labor burden is 20% to 28% for mandatory costs. Total burden with equipment, vehicle, and benefits reaches 80% to 130% of base wages. A 2 person crew at $22/hr with full burden costs $80 to $100/hr total. Painting has lower material handling costs than most trades but higher workers comp for exterior work.
How do you calculate painting crew cost per square foot?
Take your fully burdened crew cost per hour and divide by square feet painted per hour. A 2 person crew costing $90/hr burdened that covers 200 sq ft per hour costs $0.45/sq ft in labor. Add paint at $0.10 to $0.15/sq ft, supplies, and overhead, then add your margin. Most residential interior painting should cost $1.50 to $3.00/sq ft all in.
What percentage of a painter time is productive?
Painting crews are productive 65% to 75% of paid hours. Setup, masking, and cleanup take 1 to 2 hours per day. Moving furniture, laying drop cloths, and mixing paint are paid but not directly productive. On a 2 person crew working 8 hours, expect 5.5 to 6 hours of actual brush and roller time. Prep work (scraping, caulking) is billable but takes longer than most painters estimate.
Knowing Your Numbers Is Step One
This calculator shows you one piece. The Growth Report shows you the full picture: where you're leaking revenue, what to fix first, and how contractors like you are growing past the ceiling.