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.
Use your agreed rates on every daily ticket.
These public ranges are a benchmark. SubTrack stores the rates you agreed with the client on a project rate sheet. Crews apply those rates to labor, equipment, materials, and subcontractors on the daily ticket. The same figures carry into reporting and the billing documents you send.