The real cost of an hour of French construction labor, including employer contributions and the CIBTP paid-leave levy. Add a full crew and a job's hours to get a total labor budget, not just one worker's rate.
Share of paid hours that are actually billable (excluding travel, weather delays, prep time). 85 to 90% is a common range in construction, 87% by default.
In French construction (BTP), paid leave isn't managed directly by the employer like in other sectors: the company pays a monthly contribution to a regional fund (CIBTP), which then pays the leave allowance to the employee. This contribution rose to 20.70% of gross payroll on 1 January 2026 (up from 19.70% in 2025). It's the figure most often missed in a quick hourly-cost calculation, even though it represents more than a fifth of gross pay.
Loaded hourly cost is what the employer actually pays for one hour of salary (gross + employer contributions + CIBTP). Cost per productive hour goes further: it divides that loaded cost by a productivity ratio, because not every paid hour is billable (travel, weather delays, prep time, downtime). A productivity ratio of 85 to 90% is a common range in construction.
Add each role in the crew builder below with its own headcount, status, and gross wage — the calculator sums each role's loaded cost by headcount to get a total crew cost per hour, then projects it over however many hours the job needs.
The real rate depends on company size, possible reductions (notably the general reduction on low wages), and which supplementary pension scheme applies. A single figure would give a false sense of precision. This calculator uses the midpoint of the range (42.5% non-executive, 46.5% executive) and shows the full range so the result reads as an estimate, not a final number.
No. This is a quick estimation tool for pricing a quote or a site cost, not a payroll tool. The exact contribution calculation depends on the company's precise situation (headcount, regional agreement, exemptions). For actual payroll, payroll software or a French accountant is still required.
Mirage fills in DPGF and BPU bid schedules automatically from takeoff data, every quantity traceable to its source.
See Construction Intelligence