Free tool
Garage labour rate calculator
Most small garages set their labour rate by looking at the garage down the road. This works it out from your actual numbers: what it costs to keep the doors open, and how many hours you really sell.
£
Realistically 60–80%: the rest is tidying, admin, waiting for parts.
52 minus holidays and closures — usually 44–48.
The profit left after all overheads are covered.
Break-even rate
£24.84/hr
Below this, every hour on the spanners loses money.
Target rate for 20% margin
£31.06/hr
Across 2,415 billable hours a year.
MechanicX tracks your sold hours automatically
Every job card records estimated vs actual labour, so you can see which technicians and which jobs are really hitting your rate — not just once a year, but every day.
Start free — 30 days, no card