Calculate your company's overhead and G&A recovery rates
Total Indirect Costs (Pool)
Health insurance, payroll taxes, 401k
Rent, utilities, office supplies
Legal, accounting, executive salary
Direct Cost Base
Wages for project-specific work
Project materials, travel, subs
Your Calculated Indirect Rate is:
0.00%
Understanding Indirect Rate Calculations
An indirect rate is the ratio between your company's indirect costs (expenses that cannot be directly tied to a specific project) and its direct cost base. This calculation is crucial for government contractors (DCAA compliance) and professional service firms to ensure they are covering their overhead and generating profit.
How to Use This Template
To calculate your rate, you must categorize your expenses into two buckets:
The Pool (Indirect Costs): These are costs shared across the business. Fringe (benefits), Overhead (facilities), and G&A (management).
The Base (Direct Costs): The volume of direct activity, typically Direct Labor or Total Direct Costs, that "absorbs" the indirect expenses.
The Formula
Indirect Rate = (Total Indirect Cost Pool / Total Direct Cost Base) x 100
Example Calculation
If your company has $155,000 in combined Fringe, Overhead, and G&A, and your project-specific Direct Labor and Materials total $225,000:
($155,000 / $225,000) = 0.6888 or 68.89%
This means for every $1.00 you spend on direct project costs, you must charge an additional $0.69 just to break even on your company's operating expenses.
function calculateIndirectRate() {
var fringe = parseFloat(document.getElementById('fringeCosts').value) || 0;
var overhead = parseFloat(document.getElementById('overheadCosts').value) || 0;
var ga = parseFloat(document.getElementById('gaCosts').value) || 0;
var labor = parseFloat(document.getElementById('directLabor').value) || 0;
var odc = parseFloat(document.getElementById('odcCosts').value) || 0;
var totalIndirectPool = fringe + overhead + ga;
var totalDirectBase = labor + odc;
var resultArea = document.getElementById('resultArea');
var finalRateElement = document.getElementById('finalRate');
var summaryText = document.getElementById('summaryText');
if (totalDirectBase === 0) {
alert("The Direct Cost Base cannot be zero. Please enter your Direct Labor or Other Direct Costs.");
return;
}
var indirectRate = (totalIndirectPool / totalDirectBase) * 100;
resultArea.style.display = 'block';
resultArea.style.backgroundColor = '#e8f6ef';
finalRateElement.innerText = indirectRate.toFixed(2) + '%';
summaryText.innerHTML = "Total Indirect Pool: $" + totalIndirectPool.toLocaleString() + " | Total Direct Base: $" + totalDirectBase.toLocaleString();
// Smooth scroll to result
resultArea.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth', block: 'nearest' });
}