All Tools / Labor Cost & Planning Calculator
Labor Cost & Planning Calculator
Labor cost as a percentage of sales for any period — a shift, a week, a month. Include wages, payroll tax, and benefits for the real number.
Inputs
Wages + payroll taxes + benefits. If you only track hours × rate, use the helper below.
Optional: build labor cost from hours
Hours over 40 for a role are calculated at 1.5× rate (weekly overtime).
RoleHoursRate/hr
Results
—
Labor Cost %
Total sales
$0.00
Total labor cost
$0.00
Sales per labor $
—
General guideline: most independent restaurants target 25–35% labor cost. Pizzerias with strong to-go/delivery mix often run lower. Your ideal target depends on your service style and margins.
Weekly labor plan by day
Set projected sales and a target labor % for each day to build a week-at-a-glance budget.
| Day | Projected sales | Target labor % | Max labor budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week total | $0.00 | — | $0.00 |
Plan to a target labor %
Leave sales forecast blank to use the total sales entered above.
FICA, FUTA/SUTA, workers' comp & benefits as a % of wages. Typically 8–12%. Set to 0 if the labor cost above already includes this.
Max labor budget (fully-loaded target)
$0.00
→ wage portion
$0.00
→ tax & benefits portion
$0.00
How your actual numbers compare:
Base wages (labor cost above)
$0.00
+ Employer tax & benefits
$0.00
= Your fully-loaded labor cost
$0.00
Your fully-loaded labor %
—
Budget status
—