Labours
What are labours?
Section titled “What are labours?”Labours are the hourly cost rates you charge for work — for example a standard install rate, an apprentice rate, or an after-hours rate. Each labour is tied to a book (business unit), so HVAC, electrical, and plumbing can each have their own rates. When you add a service or labour line to a quote, brix uses these rates along with the book’s markup rules to calculate the labour portion of the total.
Where to find labours
Section titled “Where to find labours”Go to Manage → Business Units → pick the book you want to edit → Labour Costs tab.
Each book keeps its own list of labour rates, so make sure you are on the right book before adding or editing a rate.
What each labour has
Section titled “What each labour has”| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| Name | A short label for the rate (for example “Standard install”, “Apprentice”, “After-hours”). |
| Direct cost per hour | The hourly cost in dollars. This is the base cost your business pays — brix adds your markup on top when calculating the customer-facing labour total. |
| Description | Optional notes about when this rate is used. |
| Business unit | The book this labour belongs to. Set automatically from the book you opened. |
Adding a labour rate
Section titled “Adding a labour rate”-
Open Manage → Business Units and click the book you want to edit.
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Click the Labour Costs tab.
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Click Add labour (or the + button).
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Enter the Name (for example “Standard install”).
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Enter the Direct cost per hour in dollars. This is the cost to your business, not the customer-facing rate — the customer-facing rate is calculated by the book’s markup rules.
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Add an optional Description if it helps your team know when to use this rate.
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Click Save.
The new rate is now available when building quotes against this book.
Editing a labour rate
Section titled “Editing a labour rate”Open the Labour Costs tab on the book, click the row you want to change, and edit the fields. Click Save.
Archiving a labour rate
Section titled “Archiving a labour rate”If a rate is no longer used (for example a discontinued shift), archive it instead of deleting:
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Open the Labour Costs tab.
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Find the row, open the actions menu, and choose Archive.
Archived rates do not appear when adding labour to new quotes, but existing quotes that reference them are not changed.
Duplicating a rate
Section titled “Duplicating a rate”You can duplicate an existing labour rate to create a similar one — for example “Standard install” → duplicate → adjust to “Weekend install”. Use the row’s actions menu and choose Duplicate.
How labours flow into quotes
Section titled “How labours flow into quotes”When you build a quote against a book, brix uses the book’s labour rates along with the service’s labour rules to work out the labour portion of each line. The customer-facing labour rate is the direct cost plus the book’s labour markup. See Creating Quotes for the quote-side view.
Frequently asked questions
Section titled “Frequently asked questions”Why don’t I see a labour rate I just added on a quote?
Check the quote is using the same book the rate was added to. Labour rates are per-book; a rate added to HVAC does not appear when quoting Electrical.
What’s the difference between the direct cost and what the customer pays for labour?
Direct cost per hour is what the work costs your business. The customer-facing labour rate is calculated by adding your book’s labour markup on top. Check Manage → Business Units → [your book] → Markup Rules to see your labour markup.
Can I have different labour rates for different times (after-hours, weekends)?
Yes. Create a separate labour rate for each scenario (for example “After-hours” or “Weekend”) and pick the right one when adding labour to a quote.
Who can add or edit labour rates?
Your permission group controls this. If you cannot see the Labour Costs tab or the Add/Edit actions, ask your workspace owner.
Things to check
Section titled “Things to check”Labour Costs tab is missing
You need a permission group with Manage → Business Units access. Ask your workspace owner.
Quote labour totals look wrong
Check three things: the labour rate’s Direct cost per hour, the book’s Markup Rules for labour, and the quote line’s hours. The customer-facing labour value is direct cost × hours × (1 + markup).