Labour Standby Cost Calculator
Use this free calculator to estimate the cost of labour standing idle during a construction delay. Select the start and end time, add the labour affected, adjust the hourly rate, and see the estimated cost.
Estimated Labour Standby Cost
Estimated labour standby cost: —
- Start time
- —
- End time
- —
- Standby
- —
| Labour type | Qty | Rate | Standby | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Add labour types to see a breakdown. | ||||
| Total | — | |||
This is a general estimate based only on the information entered. Default rates are editable examples and do not confirm entitlement, approval, or recoverability under any contract.
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Keep timesheets, site diary notes, photos, delay notices, dayworks, and correspondence with the delay event.
What is labour standby cost?
Labour standby cost is the estimated cost of workers being retained on site while planned construction work is delayed or disrupted. This calculator uses hourly rates only — it does not apply day rates, overtime, allowances, or contract-specific entitlements.
When should you calculate labour standby?
Useful times to estimate idle labour cost include:
- Access delays or late deliveries holding up crews on site
- Inspections, hold points, or client directions stopping work
- Weather disruption affecting planned labour
- Design issues, concrete supply delays, or incomplete predecessor works
What records support labour standby costs?
Contemporaneous records often include:
- Timesheets and supervisor notes
- Site diary entries and photos
- Delay notices and correspondence
- Dayworks records
How DelaySolve helps
DelaySolve helps subcontractors track delays, labour, plant, evidence, costs, and dayworks in one place — so site records stay linked from the field through to commercial follow-up.
Track labour standby with your delay records
Log delays on site, attach evidence, cost labour and plant, and keep records ready for dayworks and commercial follow-up.