Hourly rate calculator for construction contractors

From the collective-agreement wage to the rate you have to bill, layer by layer — the method of the industry’s public scales, with your figures. No sign-up: the calculation stays in your browser.

Your figures

CMMTQ scale values as of January 1, 2026 — replace every field with your own.

A — Wage rate (collective agreement)$/hCollective agreement — journeyperson pipefitter (CMMTQ, Jan. 1, 2026)B — Construction fringe benefits$/hVacation 13%, CCQ plans, insurance tax, safety, training fund (CMMTQ)C — Government charges$/hCNESST, health services fund, employment insurance, QPIP, QPP (CMMTQ)D — Contributions and licence$/hCMMTQ, AECQ, RBQ licence, CCQ levy (CMMTQ)E — Equipment allocated to the hour$/hService truck $14.24 + basic tools $2.23 (CMMTQ)F — Operating overhead% of direct costSales, administration, office — 25% of direct cost (CMMTQ)or your annual overhead$/yearIf filled in, it replaces the percentage — divided by billable hours.Actually billable hours per employeeh/year40 h × 52 weeks, vacation and holidays deducted (CMMTQ)G — Target margin% of priceThe CMMTQ scale targets a 10% margin — not a 10% markupWhat you bill today$/hOptional — to measure the gap per hour.

Rate to bill

$117.46 /h

To keep a 10.0% margin — that is a 11.1% markup on the full cost. Billed rate ÷ wage factor: 2.59.

Layer by layer

Labour cost (A + B + C + D): $68.10
Direct cost of the hour (+ E): $84.57
Operating overhead (F): $21.14
Full cost before profit: $105.71
Profit per hour (10.0% margin): $11.75

Margin and markup are not the same thing

Marking up 20% while thinking you make a 20% margin means making 16.7%.

Mark up by	= real margin	Target margin	= mark up by
10.0%	9.1%	10.0%	11.1%
15.0%	13.0%	15.0%	17.6%
20.0%	16.7%	20.0%	25.0%
25.0%	20.0%	25.0%	33.3%
30.0%	23.1%	30.0%	42.9%
50.0%	33.3%	40.0%	66.7%

How to read the result

The default values reproduce the CMMTQ reference hourly rate for a journeyperson pipefitter (light residential, January 1, 2026): a $45.36 wage becomes a $68.10 labour cost, then a rate of $117.46 an hour. That is not your price — it is the proof that the method holds. Replace each layer with your own costs.

A to D — your CCQ statements and your CNESST classification decision give these amounts to the cent; don't guess them.
E — truck, trailer, tools, fuel, maintenance, depreciation, brought back to the hour worked.
F — your overhead (rent, accountant, insurance, licence, software, your own administrative salary), divided by the hours actually billed, not by 2,080. If you know the annual amount, enter it: it replaces the percentage.
G — the margin you want to keep. The tool divides by (1 − margin); it does not mark up.

The complete method, the two scales and the three costly mistakes are in the article (in French) Computing your hourly rate: a Québec contractor’s cost price (2026).

Frequently asked questions

Why does an employee paid $45 an hour cost $68?

Because the collective-agreement rate is only the first layer: vacation and holidays (13%), CCQ insurance and pension plans, government charges (CNESST, health services fund, employment insurance, QPIP, QPP) and sector contributions are added before anyone talks about a truck, tools or an office. On the 2026 CMMTQ scale, those layers carry a $45.36 wage to a labour cost of $68.10.

What is the difference between margin and markup?

Markup is added to the cost (price = cost × 1.20 for 20%); margin is the share of the price you keep (margin = (price − cost) ÷ price). A 20% markup leaves only a 16.7% margin. To keep 20%, divide the cost by 0.80: that is what the calculator does.

Are the default values mine?

No. They reproduce the public CMMTQ scale as of January 1, 2026 (journeyperson pipefitter, light residential) so you can check the method: $117.46 an hour. Your real costs depend on your CNESST unit, your payroll, your sector and your equipment — replace every field with your own figures.

What BatiCore does with this rate. In the price book, every item carries a cost price and the margin applies when the line is inserted — per category or per item. The selling price is computed, never typed by hand, and the margin stays internal data that appears on no document handed to the client.

Sources consulted on September 8, 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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