Free Calculator · Updated 18 May 2026
Workshop Labour Rate Calculator, Australia
Estimate labour, parts markup, sublet, EPA / disposal, and GST for a workshop job. Built for mechanical, smash, detail, auto-electrical, and tyre operators. Use the breakdown as the base of your customer quote.
Pre-loads defaults for hourly rate and EPA fee.
10% handling markup applied.
Per-job fee for oil, refrigerant, tyres.
Happy with the rate? The next question is what it costs to run it. Compare the AUD plans on the pricing page.
How to Use This Calculator
4 steps to a quotable workshop estimate
Pick your workshop type
Each type pre-loads a default hourly rate based on AU market averages. Mechanical workshops typically charge $95 to $130/hr, smash repair $80 to $110/hr (insurer-controlled), detail $60 to $120/hr, auto-electrical $130 to $160/hr, tyre $60 to $90/hr. Tune the default to match your local market.
Enter labour hours and parts cost
Labour hours come from your job estimate or quoted time. Parts cost is the wholesale / trade cost from your supplier (Repco, Burson, OEM dealer) before markup. Markup is applied automatically.
Add sublet, EPA, and toggle GST
Sublet covers work you outsource (wheel alignment, paint matching, transmission rebuild). EPA / disposal fee covers oil, refrigerant, and tyres. GST adds 10% to the final figure, toggle off if invoicing a GST-exempt customer.
Use the breakdown to set your quote
The output shows labour subtotal, parts (with markup), sublet, EPA, subtotal ex-GST, GST, and grand total. Use the breakdown directly in your customer quote, line-itemised quotes convert ~40% better than lump-sum estimates.
Practical tips for pricing
Calculate your loaded hourly cost first
Wage × (1 + on-cost %) ÷ annual chargeable hours = your real hourly cost. A $35/hr tradesperson with 28% on-costs (super, annual leave, workers comp, training) costs $44.80/hr. With 75% chargeability (1,440 chargeable hours of 1,920 paid), cost per chargeable hour climbs to $60/hr. Mark up 2× to a $120/hr retail rate.
Don't under-mark consumables
Oil, filters, brake fluid, washer fluid, small per-unit margin but high cumulative volume. A 25% markup vs 35% across 100 services per month compounds to thousands per year. Use a tiered markup table: bulk oils 20%, parts 25% to 30%, specialty 30% to 35%.
Track quoted vs actual time
Quote times that consistently run over are a margin leak. Most workshops over-quote on simple jobs and under-quote on complex ones. Time-track every job for 90 days to recalibrate your job-time templates, accuracy directly drives margin.
Itemise on the invoice
Labour, parts (with itemised list), sublet, EPA fee, GST. Itemised invoices reduce disputes, defend warranty claims, and increase rebooking. Customers who see a $400 service broken down into labour + 8 parts + EPA + GST are far less likely to push back than ones who see “Service: $400”.
Related free resources
Reference
Vehicle Repair Award (MA000089)
Classifications, allowances, loadings, the wage cost base for your labour rate.
Founder Guide
Start an Auto Business
8-step guide covering niche, licensing, premises, kit, and pricing.
Operator Guide
Workshop Insurance Guide
PL, Workers Comp, CCC, tools, premises, what each costs per year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How accurate is this labour rate calculator?
It's a directional pricing tool for Australian workshops, not an authoritative benchmark. Default hourly rates are sourced from current AU market averages across mechanical, smash, detail, auto-electrical, and tyre sub-verticals. Your local market may run 10% to 25% above or below depending on metro vs regional, premium positioning, and competition. Tune the default rate to match your circumstances.
What hourly rate should I charge?
Calculate your hourly cost first: tradesperson wage + on-costs (super, leave, workers comp) ÷ chargeable hours per year. A $35/hr R3 tradesperson loaded comes to roughly $48 to $55/hr. Mark up 2 to 3× to land at retail, $95 to $130/hr is the standard mechanical range, premium specialty workshops charge $150 to $200/hr. Don't compete on hourly rate alone; compete on capability and outcomes.
How does parts markup work?
Standard markup on parts cost is 25% in most Australian workshops. Premium / specialty parts (OEM dealer parts, performance, hard-to-source) can be marked up 30% to 35%. Common consumables (filters, oil, batteries) are usually held closer to 20% because customers price-check on Repco and AutoBarn. The calculator uses 25% as the default, adjust to match your typical mix.
What's a typical sublet cost?
Sublet is work you outsource, wheel alignment ($80 to $150 per job), paint matching ($50 to $200), transmission rebuilds ($1,500 to $3,500), specialty welding, dyno tuning. Most workshops mark up sublet by 10% to 15% to cover handling. Track sublet separately so you can see profit on outsourced work vs your own labour.
Why is there an EPA / disposal fee?
Australian workshops generate regulated waste streams (used oil, coolant, tyres, batteries, refrigerant) that require licensed-contractor disposal. The disposal contract is a real operating cost. Most workshops itemise a $5 to $15 per-job EPA fee on customer invoices, transparent, customary, and protects margin against rising disposal costs.
Should I include GST in my customer quote?
If you're GST-registered (turnover ≥ $75k), yes, invoices must show GST. The calculator toggle lets you build a quote either way depending on whether the customer is GST-exempt (rare in workshop work). Quote the price including GST as the headline figure for retail customers; quote the ex-GST figure for B2B / fleet customers who reclaim GST.
Running a workshop?
OneBookPlus is the all-in-one platform for Australian workshops , bookings, job cards, parts, labour rates, GST-ready invoicing, photo evidence. Free to start, AUD billing.
Rather look before you sign up? Open a live demo account with real data in it.
Reviewed by Bishal Shrestha
About the author
Bishal Shrestha
Founder & CEO, OneBookPlus
Bishal spent a decade running digital projects for Australian small businesses before founding OneBookPlus. He writes and maintains these pages, and publishes what OneBookPlus does not do alongside what it does.
Read the founder bioHow this page was researched
Every figure above is either linked to the body that published it or recomputable from the numbers shown on the page. Plan prices come from the OneBookPlus price registry, so the page and the checkout cannot disagree. Everything said about OneBookPlus describes what the product does today, and the page says so where it does not do something.
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Related resources
Start an Auto Business
8-step founder guide, ABN, GST, MTA registration, workshop fit-out, insurance, pricing, finding fleet clients.
Read Start an Auto BusinessReferenceMotor Trade Licence by State
VIC LMCT, NSW MD/MR, QLD MD licence, SA, WA, state-by-state thresholds and regulators.
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Read Vehicle Repair Award (MA000089)