Set your workshop labour rate

Why the labour rate matters

The workshop labour rate is the per-hour figure that auto-fills on every new automotive job, quote, and invoice line item. Most independent AU workshops sit between $110/hr (smaller regional) and $175/hr (city specialists). Getting the default right means every quote you generate reflects your real cost, without you re-typing it on each invoice.

OneBookPlus ships a $135/hr default, close to the 2025 AU average across mid-tier independents. Bump or trim before you write the first invoice.

Where to set it

1. Open Dashboard, then Vehicles, then Settings (or the gear icon next to the vehicles header)
2. The Workshop labour rate field sits near the top of the form
3. Enter the dollar value (no $ sign, no comma, 135 or 145.50)
4. Click Save

The change takes effect on the next job you create. Existing jobs/invoices keep their original rate, by design, so you can't accidentally reprice committed work.

Choosing the right rate

If you're unsure where to land, a quick framework:

• Take your annual labour cost (techs' wages + super + workers comp + payroll tax): call this C
• Take your billable hours (techs × productive hours per week × 48 weeks): call this H
• Your floor rate is C / H × 1.15 (15% buffer for non-billable supervision)
• Add 25-40% margin depending on your local market and brand strength

A two-tech shop with $180K annual labour cost and 3,400 billable hours = $61/hr floor × 1.4 = $85/hr. That's a regional shop number, city workshops with prestige clientele will run 1.8-2.2× the floor.

Per-job override

The rate set here is the default, every line item on a new job lets you override per-line. Use that for:

• Diagnostic work (often 1.5-2× standard, specialist labour)
• Fleet contracts (often 0.9×, volume discount)
• Warranty / comeback work (often 0× or a token amount)
• Apprentice-only work (often 0.7-0.8×, reflects the actual cost)

The per-line override doesn't affect the workshop default, it only changes that single line.

Surface in the dashboard

The automotive workshop dashboard header shows the active labour rate so you know what's being applied to new work:

If you change the rate, refresh the dashboard to confirm the new figure is showing.

When to review

Most workshops review the rate annually, at the start of each financial year. Parts costs have moved 8-15% per year since 2022; if you're not lifting the labour rate to match input inflation, your margin is silently eroding.

Setting the number in the first place

If you are working out what your rate should be rather than where to type it, the workshop labour rate calculator builds it up from your wages, overheads and billable hours.