Real hourly cost of a CCQ construction worker: wage, benefits and charges

The collective-agreement wage is only the first line of what a construction employee costs. Pick the trade, the sector and the classification: the tool adds up everything the employer pays on top, with the rates published for 2026. No sign-up: the calculation stays in your browser.

The worker

SectorTrade or occupationClassificationA — Wage rate$/hCollective-agreement scale in force since April 26, 2026. Editable. Trade names are the official French ones.Trade’s MÉDIC insurance$/hFilled in for the trade you pick: the $2.93 base contribution, plus the supplement set by its collective agreement (in residential, only for the electrician and the security system installer). Editable.CNESST classification unitsuggested from the trade2026 unit rate + $0.04 for ASP Construction. Your assessment notice prevails.Health services fund (FSS)%1.65% if your payroll is $1M or less; up to 4.26% above.

Real cost of one hour worked

$69.59 /h

That is 1.52 times the $45.76 wage rate. A 40-hour week: $2,783.60.

Work out the rate to bill →

Opens the hourly-rate calculator with A, B, C and D filled in: equipment, your overhead and your margin remain.

Layer by layer

A — Wage rate: $45.76
B — Construction fringe benefits: $14.55
13% indemnity (vacation, holidays, sick leave): $5.95
Pension plan: $5.21
MÉDIC insurance: $2.93
9% tax on insurance: $0.26
Training fund: $0.20
C — Government charges: $8.79
QPP (employer share): $3.33
Employment insurance (1.4 × employee): $0.94
QPIP (employer share): $0.31
FSS: $0.90
CNESST: $3.31
D — Contributions: $0.48
CCQ levy (0.75%): $0.39
Compensation fund: $0.02
Employer associations: $0.03
Sectoral contribution (residential): $0.04
Real cost of the hour: $69.59

Basis. Employment insurance, QPIP and the CCQ levy: the wage plus the 13%. QPP, FSS and CNESST: the same base plus the trade’s taxable insurance benefit ($2.79 an hour, CCQ table) — an amount that is not paid on top, but that raises these three contributions. QPP then deducts the basic exemption ($1.68 an hour).

Indicative. QPP, employment insurance and QPIP are taken at the full rate: once their annual ceiling is reached, late in the year, they no longer cost anything for this employee. The QPP basic exemption ($3,500 a year) is spread over a 40-hour week. Premiums (overtime, evening, night, travel) and the safety-equipment allowance are not included.

What the tool adds up

A — the wage rate from the 2025-2029 collective-agreement scale, in force since April 26, 2026.
B — construction fringe benefits: the 13% indemnity remitted to the CCQ, the pension plan, MÉDIC insurance and its 9% tax, the training fund.
C — government charges: QPP, employment insurance, QPIP, FSS and CNESST, computed on the wage plus the 13% — the most common mistake is to compute them on the wage alone. For QPP, FSS and CNESST, the base also includes the trade’s taxable insurance benefit, which the CCQ publishes: the tool adds it for you.
D — contributions: the CCQ levy, the compensation fund, employer associations and, in residential, the sectoral contribution.

The rates by sector, the step-by-step calculation and what moves the bill are in the article CCQ wages 2026: hourly rates by trade and by sector, increases and the real cost of a worker.

What next? This cost is not a price. The hourly-rate calculator adds equipment, overhead and margin, starting from these four layers.

Frequently asked questions

Where do the tool’s wage rates come from?

From the 2025-2029 collective-agreement scale, the same one BatiCore uses for the employee record. The rates shown are those in force since the April 26, 2026 increase: 5% in the institutional and commercial, industrial, civil engineering and roads, and heavy residential sectors, 5.5% in light residential. If there is any discrepancy, the CCQ notes that the official collective agreements prevail.

Why is the real cost so much higher than the wage?

Because the employer pays much more than the hourly rate: the 13% indemnity remitted to the CCQ (6% annual vacation, 5.5% statutory holidays, 1.5% sick leave), the pension plan ($5.21 an hour for a journeyperson, $4.29 for an apprentice), MÉDIC insurance and its 9% tax, the training fund, then the charges computed on the wage plus the 13%: QPP, employment insurance, QPIP, FSS and CNESST. For QPP, FSS and CNESST, the base also includes the trade's taxable insurance benefit, published by the CCQ.

Which CNESST rate should I pick?

The one for your classification unit, shown on your assessment notice. The tool lists the 2026 general rates of the construction units — from $2.04 to $7.88 per $100 of payroll — plus $0.04 for ASP Construction, and suggests a unit from the trade. If your business has a personalized rate, enter it: that is the one that counts.

Is this the price I should bill?

No: it is what one hour worked costs. To get a rate to bill, you still add the truck and tools, your overhead and your margin, then account for the hours you can actually bill. The “Work out the rate to bill” button opens the hourly-rate calculator with these first four layers already filled in.

What BatiCore does with it. The same scale fills the rate of every employee record, and payroll computes these employer contributions period by period, with your own rates and the annual ceilings — prepared, never filed on your behalf. On your job sites, this worker’s hours go into each project’s actual cost: job costing.

Sources consulted on October 2, 2026

The amounts and rules cited are those displayed by these bodies on that date; they change (indexation, decrees). Check at the source before acting — and this article is not legal advice.

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