Construction glossary
Charge-out versus wage
Also called billable rate, loaded rate, selling rate.
A wage is what the person takes home. A charge-out is what the ticket bills the client. Rates by SubTrack publishes charge-out ranges — fully loaded T&M — not BLS wages and not a union package.
What sits between wage and charge-out
Payroll burden (tax, WCB/workers’ comp, benefits), non-billable time, supervision, small tools, overhead, and margin. A 2026 electrician wage in the $30–$50/hr band commonly bills $85–$150/hr T&M once those layers are on. The public index is a blended range, not your burden calculator.
How to use the Rates book
Use the low / median / high as a check against the number on your sheet. Do not paste a median onto an invoice. Canadian rows are CAD. US rows are USD. The as-of month is on each row.
Charge-out versus wage FAQ
Is the Rates index a wage survey?
No. It is a public T&M charge-out benchmark. Wages are lower. Union packages and prevailing wage can sit above or beside it.
Can I invoice the median?
No. The median is a public check. Your billable number lives on the project rate sheet.
The index is a benchmark. Rate sheets are how you bill.
Rates shows public charge-out ranges. SubTrack rate sheets lock your crew numbers into a template the field actually bills from, on every LEM.
One template, every job
Labor, equipment, materials, and subs live in one sheet. Assign it to a project and tickets read the same numbers.
OT and markup apply themselves
Standby, overtime, and markup rules ride with the sheet. The field does not retype them.
The client sees what they signed
Line items match the agreed rates. Fewer disputes, faster approvals.
Project rate sheet
Labor · assigned to the job
| Position | Reg. rate | OT rate |
|---|---|---|
| Foreman | $72/hr | $108/hr |
| Operator | $68/hr | $102/hr |
| Laborer | $35/hr | $52.50/hr |