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Reference · State of Montana

Montana trade labor costs

What a plumbing, HVAC or electrical tech earns in Montana, what the state adds to payroll, whether labor is taxed, what a license costs, how lien rights work and when the heating and cooling seasons peak — each figure from the agency that sets it, with the date we read it.

  • Wages BLS OEWS May 2025
  • Payroll and licenses state agencies
  • Checked and
Plumbing median
$38.44/h+25.3% vs the U.S.10th of 51
HVAC median
$29.26/h−0.2% vs the U.S.25th of 51
Electrical median
$36.90/h+21.5% vs the U.S.12th of 51
New-employer SUTA
Industry avg.on the first $47,300
Payroll programs
Noneno paid-leave or disability program found
Sales tax on labor
No sales taxrepair and installation on buildings

Pay in Montana

Hourly pay across all industries, May 2025. Half of the workers in each trade earn less than the median and half earn more; one in ten earns less than the 10th percentile. Union and non-union, no self-employed.

Hourly pay, 10th to 90th percentileDrawn to scale: one dollar axis for all three trades

  • PlumbingU.S. median $30.67

    plumbers: 10th percentile $23.20, 25th $29.32, median $38.44, 75th $45.37, 90th $48.49 an hour; U.S. median $30.67.

  • HVACU.S. median $29.33

    HVAC techs: 10th percentile $20.14, 25th $23.15, median $29.26, 75th $36.44, 90th $39.05 an hour; U.S. median $29.33.

  • ElectricalU.S. median $30.38

    electricians: 10th percentile $23.62, 25th $29.04, median $36.90, 75th $39.14, 90th $43.03 an hour; U.S. median $30.38.

  • 25th–75th percentile
  • State median
  • U.S. median
Hourly pay by percentile for plumbers, HVAC techs and electricians in Montana, BLS OEWS May 2025
PercentilePlumbingHVACElectrical
10th$23.20$20.14$23.62
25th$29.32$23.15$29.04
Median$38.44$29.26$36.90
75th$45.37$36.44$39.14
90th$48.49$39.05$43.03
Mean$37.59$29.94$34.58
U.S. median$30.67$29.33$30.38
vs U.S.+25.3%−0.2%+21.5%
Rank10th25th12th
Jobs1,8601,2302,750

Dollars an hour. BLS occupations: Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters (SOC 47-2152); Heating, air conditioning and refrigeration mechanics and installers (SOC 49-9021); Electricians (SOC 47-2111). “vs U.S.” compares the medians; rank 1 is the highest median of the 50 states and DC. Released May 15, 2026; the next survey is due each spring.

Payroll costs the state adds

What Montana charges an employer on top of wages: unemployment tax, and any paid-leave or disability program funded through payroll, and who must carry workers’ comp. Federal Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax apply in every state and are already in the calculator. Workers’ comp premiums depend on the class code and the insurer, so the card gives the rules, not a rate.

State unemployment tax (SUTA)

Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division (Contributions Bureau)

Wage base
$47,300 per employee a year
New-employer rate
Industry averageEach new employer pays the average rate of its industry; there is no single number.
Construction
2.00%for new construction employers

No single new-employer rate: each new employer pays the average rate for its industry. Montana Unemployment Insurance Division 2026 rate explanation: Construction 2.00%, plus the 0.18% Administrative Fund Tax. Applies until the employer has 3 full federal fiscal years of experience.

Charged with it

Per tech, a year 2.00% × $47,300 = $946With the Administrative Fund Tax billed on top: (2.00% + 0.18%) × $47,300 = $1,031At the construction rate, for a plumber paid the state median ($38.44 × 2,080 h = $79,955). The calculator uses the rate alone.

State pages read

Workers’ compensation

Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Employment Standards Division (Compliance Bureau)

Who must carry it
Any employeeMontana’s Workers’ Compensation Act applies to all employers: any employer with even one employee, under any oral or written hiring arrangement, must be covered under plan No. 1 (self-insured), 2 (private insurer) or 3 (the state fund) (MCA 39-71-401(1)). A dependent family member the employer can claim on federal taxes and the employer’s spouse are excluded unless the employer elects to cover them (39-71-401(2)(c), (p)). archive.legmt.gov
Where to buy it
Private insurers or the state fundState Compensation Insurance Fund ("state fund", Montana State Fund)Coverage can be bought from any insurer authorized in Montana, from the state compensation insurance fund (the “state fund”), or carried by self-insuring with the department’s approval. The state fund must insure any Montana employer who asks, unless the employer has an unpaid default with the fund (MCA 39-71-2313). archive.legmt.gov · erd.dli.mt.gov
Owners
Sole proprietors, working partners and working members of a member-managed LLC are not covered unless they elect coverage, but if they regularly work away from their own fixed business location they must either elect coverage on themselves or get an Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate from the department (MCA 39-71-401(2)(d), (3)). A corporation or manager-managed LLC must cover its employees; officers or managers who own 10% or more (or are close relatives of such an owner) are exempt but may be covered by written notice to the board and the insurer (39-71-401(2)(r), (4)). archive.legmt.gov
Construction
The Independent Contractor Exemption Certificate (ICEC, $125 nonrefundable application fee, applied for online) also covers a manager of a manager-managed LLC in the construction industry; an independent contractor working without an ICEC or self-elected coverage can be fined up to $5,000 per violation (MCA 39-71-417). A contractor who hires a subcontractor for work that is a regular part of its own business is liable for benefits to the sub’s employees if the sub has not complied with the coverage requirements (MCA 39-71-405(1)). archive.legmt.gov · erd.dli.mt.gov

Statute and agency pages read

Paid leave and disability insurance

We found no state paid family and medical leave or temporary disability insurance program funded through payroll in Montana on October 28, 2026. State paid sick leave rules, where they exist, are not covered here.

New-employer rates usually last one to three years — longer in some states (four years in Indiana, four to five in D.C.); then the state assigns your own rate, and your rate notice wins over any figure here. The calculator below uses the construction rate where one is clear. Where a state’s own pages could not be read, the card says so and gives the U.S. Labor Department’s figure.

What a shop in Montana needs to charge

The calculator’s example shop — three techs, $120,000 of overhead, a truck each, 10% net profit — with Montana’s median wage for each trade and its unemployment tax filled in. Your own numbers will differ; change them in the calculator below.

Example shopBreak-evenRate, 10% profit
Plumbingwage $38.44$129.94$144.37→ $145
HVACwage $29.26$110.23$122.48→ $125
Electricalwage $36.90$126.63$140.70→ $145

Per billable hour; → is the rate rounded up, as the calculator rounds it. Everything except the wage and the unemployment tax is the national example (BLS, IRS and DOL figures listed on the labor rate calculator).

Change the numbers for your shop

The labor rate calculator, opened on Montana: pick your trade, put in your own crew, pay and overhead, and the rate and break-even redraw as you type.

Your labor rate

Who does the billable work?

Example shop in Montana: 3 techs at the state’s median plumber wage, $120,000 overhead. Change any number or pick another state.

Charge at least Example shop · Montana

Charge at least $144.37 per billable hour; break-even $129.94.

Round up to $145 (+$0.63)

See it drawn to scale
Rate build-upDrawn to scale: every dollar the same height
Rate build-up for the example, drawn to scaleColumn from $0 to $144.37 per billable hour, drawn to scale: wage $65.71, taxes & benefits $17.61, overhead $32.87, truck $13.74, profit 10% $14.44. Break-even line at $129.94. Rounded up to $145.12345$0Labor$83.32Break-even$129.94Your rate$144.37Round up to$145
  1. Wage$79,955.20 ÷ 1,216.8 h$65.71
  2. Taxes & benefits26.81% of pay$17.61
  3. Overhead$120,000 ÷ 3,650.4 h$32.87
  4. Truck$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h$13.74
  5. Profit 10%of the price$14.44
Break-even
$129.94
Profit per hour
$14.44
Revenue a year
$527,023

$129.94 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $144.37rounded up to $145

Already showing the example.

Price your tasks at $145 an hourOpens the price book builder with this rate.

Billable hours
1,216.8per tech a year
Loaded wage
$48.74per paid hour
Labor
$83.32per billable hour
Overhead
$32.87per billable hour
Truck
$13.74per billable hour
Labor burden
26.81%over gross pay

What moves your rate

  • Every billable hour sold under $129.94 loses money.
  • At 70% billable instead of 65%, break-even drops to $120.66, $9.28 an hour less.
  • Cut $10,000 of overhead a year and break-even drops $2.74 an hour, to $127.20.
Show the math
  1. Worked hours2,080 h − 26 days × 8 h = 1,872 h
  2. Billable hours per tech1,872 h × 65% = 1,216.8 h
  3. Gross pay per tech$38.44 × 2,080 h = $79,955.20
  4. Employer taxes and comp$4,957.22 SS + $1,159.35 Medicare + $42.00 FUTA + $946.00 SUTA + $2,134.80 comp = $9,239.38
  5. Benefits$79,955.20 × 15.25% = $12,193.17
  6. Labor per billable hour$101,387.74 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $83.32
  7. Overhead per billable hour$120,000 ÷ (3 × 1,216.8 h) = $32.87
  8. Truck per billable hour$16,719.14 ÷ 1,216.8 h = $13.74
  9. Break-even$83.32 + $32.87 + $13.74 = $129.94
  10. Rate at 10% profit$129.94 ÷ (1 − 10%) = $144.37

Change the numbers

State and trade
Trade

Fills the wage and state unemployment tax (SUTA). Workers’ comp and everything else stay as they are.

Filled for Montana3 figures
Wage Plumbing
$38.44/hr
Montana median for plumbers · BLS OEWS May 2025
SUTA rate Construction
2.00%
Construction rate; no general new-employer rate · Montana UID, 2026
SUTA wage base Per tech
$47,300
Montana · DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026

Your own rate notice wins. These are new-employer rates: after one to three years the state sets your own, and construction employers often pay a different rate.

Montana: pay, payroll taxes and licensesSee all 50 states and DC
Montana: the fine print

No single new-employer rate: each new employer pays the average rate for its industry. Montana Unemployment Insurance Division 2026 rate explanation: Construction 2.00%, plus the 0.18% Administrative Fund Tax. Applies until the employer has 3 full federal fiscal years of experience.

Crew and pay

People who bill hours. Office staff go in overhead.

Average base pay. Filled: Montana median for plumbers, BLS OEWS May 2025.

Hours and time off2,080 h · 26 days off

40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080.

Holidays, vacation and sick days, 8 h each. Example: 8 + 11 + 7 (BLS).

Optional. Paid at 1.5 × the wage. Leave 0 if none.

Billable time

Share of worked hours that ends up on invoices. Published figures run from 30% to 65%.

Billable hours1,216.8 hper tech · 3,650.4 h for the shop
Payroll taxes and benefits+26.81% of pay

Filled: Montana construction rate, Montana UID, 2026. Your notice wins.

Pay per tech the rate applies to. Filled: Montana, DOL Significant Provisions, July 2026.

Use the rate on your policy. Example: BLS construction average.

Health, retirement and other benefits. Example: BLS construction average.

Loaded wage$48.74per paid hour · burden 26.81%

Included automatically (IRS, tax year 2026): Social Security 6.2% of pay up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45%, federal unemployment (FUTA) 0.6% of the first $7,000.

Shop costs

An example figure. Everything except field pay and trucks — split it in the worksheet below.

Payments, fuel, insurance and upkeep. Enter 0 if trucks are already in overhead.

Profit

Profit as a share of the price, not a markup on cost.

Your rate: $144.37 per billable hour · break-even $129.94. Back to the result

Sales tax on your work

What Montana’s tax agency says about repair and installation labor on buildings and the parts and fixtures that go into them. This is what the agency’s pages say, not tax advice.

Labor
No sales taxMontana has no general sales tax, so repair and installation work on buildings carries no state sales tax.None for sales tax. A separate 1% gross receipts tax applies to public construction contracts over $80,000.
Materials
No state sales taxNo general sales tax applies to materials or fixtures.

Read October 24, 2026 on the agency pages listed under Sources. All 50 states and DC side by side.

Licenses and state fees

The license a shop needs from the state to contract for each trade, the board that issues it and the fees on its own schedule. Cities and counties can add their own licenses, registrations and permit fees; exam vendors and fingerprinting may charge more.

Plumbing

State license

Montana Board of Plumbers (Department of Labor & Industry)

Master Plumber license

A person working at the field of plumbing in Montana, either as a master plumber or as a journeyman plumber, shall first obtain a license (MCA 37-69-301).

FeeAmount
Master plumber application fee (by examination)one-time$380
Master plumber renewal fee(ARM 24.180.401, board compilation as of 6/30/2021)per year (fiscal-year renewal cycle)$265

For the FY 26 cycle the Board states the renewal fee is 100% abated (renewals July 2 – Sept 1, 2026; late fees still apply). The $265 renewal amount comes from the Board’s posted rule compilation as of June 30, 2021, which is marked 'NOT AN OFFICIAL VERSION', so the current amount may differ. The same compilation lists a $50 fee to register a business’s master plumber of record. Exam fees are paid directly to the testing vendor. Optional $100 temporary journeyman work permit for exam candidates.

Keeping the license

Renewal
Montana plumber licenses renew every year by September 1, with 4 hours of Uniform Plumbing Code education due by that date (Board of Plumbers, ARM 24.180.2102). boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Continuing ed.
Plumbers must complete 4 hours of Uniform Plumbing Code education each year on or before the September 1 renewal deadline. boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Reciprocity
Check with the boardThe official pages and rules we read on November 4, 2026 do not settle it.

Sources read

HVAC

State license

Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Construction Contractor License (CCL) Program

Construction Contractor License (the state license for construction businesses in general; not an HVAC trade license)

Required for anyone constructing, altering or repairing structures attached to real estate, specifically contractors with employees and corporations/manager-managed LLCs regardless of employee count (CCL FAQ, MCA 37-45, effective Jan. 1, 2026).

FeeAmount
Construction contractor license application fee(non-refundable)one-time$70
Construction contractor license renewal feeper renewal (anniversary of issuance)$70

General construction contractor license, not an HVAC competency license. Late renewal adds $70.

Keeping the license

Renewal
Check with the boardThe official pages and rules we read on November 4, 2026 do not settle it.
Continuing ed.
There is no state HVAC license, and the Construction Contractor License requires no continuing education. boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Reciprocity
Montana issues no HVAC trade license, so there is no HVAC reciprocity; the Construction Contractor License is a registration-type license with no exam. boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov

Sources read

Electrical

State license

Montana State Electrical Board (Department of Labor & Industry)

Electrical Contractor license (requires a Montana licensed Master Electrician as responsible party)

No one may engage in the business or trade of an electrician or electrical contractor until licensed by the department (MCA 37-68-301); an electrical contractor license requires a Montana licensed master electrician as the responsible party.

FeeAmount
Electrical contractor original license fee (ARM 24.141.405)until July 15 of the next even year (up to 2 years)$210
Electrical contractor renewal fee (two years)2 years$210

Fees from the Board’s Laws & Rules booklet (statute/rules as of June 7, 2024; the booklet says the Montana Administrative Register is the official text). Renewal fees for the 2026 cycle were abated 50% per the Board. Licenses expire July 15 of even years. Exam fees are set by and paid to the testing agency.

Keeping the license

Renewal
All electrician and electrical contractor licenses expire July 15 of even-numbered years (two-year cycle); the 2026 renewal fees were cut 50%. boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Continuing ed.
Licensed electricians must complete 16 hours of National Electrical Code education on the currently adopted code before the July 15 renewal deadline of each even-numbered year (ARM 24.141.2102). boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Reciprocity
Check with the boardThe official pages and rules we read on November 4, 2026 do not settle it.

Sources read

Beyond the trade license

Contractor registration, bond and insurance the state asks of a trade shop

Registration
Construction contractors with employees, and all corporations and manager-managed LLCs, need a Montana Construction Contractor License from the Department of Labor & Industry (MCA 37-45-201; the former contractor registration was renamed a license effective January 1, 2026 by Ch. 644, L. 2025). Licensed Montana plumbers and electricians working within their license are exempt (MCA 37-45-104(16)), so the license matters mainly for HVAC shops, which have no state trade license; jobs under $2,500 and independent contractors without employees are also exempt. mca.legmt.gov · boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov
Bond
No surety bond is listed for the Construction Contractor License, the plumber licenses or the electrical contractor license; the CCL requires a $70 fee and proof of workers’ compensation compliance. boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov · mca.legmt.gov
Insurance
Montana requires no liability insurance minimum for these licenses; the Construction Contractor License and the electrical contractor license require proof of workers’ compensation compliance (and, for electrical contractors, unemployment insurance) or an Independent Contractor Exemption. mca.legmt.gov · boards.bsd.dli.mt.gov

Board and statute pages read

State or city license?

State license only Who licenses the trades in Montana

Plumbers and electricians are licensed by state boards and other contractors by the state CCL program. State law makes the contractor license exclusive: cities and counties may not require their own registrations, licenses or bonds for the same purpose, only a general business license fee charged to all businesses (MCA 37-45-204). mca.legmt.gov

State and city pages read

What Montana law says about lien rights on private jobs — the notices, the deadline to file and the deadline to sue — and whether a statute sets payment deadlines or caps retainage. Read from the statute itself; it is not legal advice.

Mechanic’s lien

MCA 71-3-521 to 71-3-564TITLE 71. MORTGAGES, PLEDGES, AND LIENS, CHAPTER 3. LIENS, Part 5. Construction Liens

You, hired by the owner
No notice to startAn original contractor who furnishes services or materials directly to the owner at the owner’s request does not have to give a notice of right to claim a lien (MCA 71-3-531(1)(a)). leg.mt.gov
Subs and suppliers
Notice requiredSubs and suppliers must send the contracting owner a notice of right to claim a lien by certified mail or personal delivery within 20 days after first furnishing (45 days on lender-financed jobs other than owner-occupied homes), and file a copy with the county clerk and recorder within 5 business days; late notice covers only the prior 20 days (MCA 71-3-531). No notice is needed on dwellings for five or more families or on partly or wholly commercial jobs. leg.mt.gov
File the lien
90 daysFile the lien with the county clerk and recorder no later than 90 days after your final furnishing of services or materials, or after the owner files a notice of completion, and certify that a copy was served on the owner of record (MCA 71-3-535). The same deadline applies to subs. leg.mt.gov
Enforce it
2 yearsFile suit to foreclose within 2 years from the date the lien was filed (MCA 71-3-562). leg.mt.gov
Homes
The notice of right to claim a lien is required only on residential jobs of up to four families (it is not required for dwellings of five or more families or for partly or wholly commercial work), and the longer 45-day notice period for lender-financed jobs does not apply to an owner-occupied residence (MCA 71-3-531(1), (4)). leg.mt.gov

Statutes read

Payment deadlines and retainage

Private jobs (public contracts have their own rules)

Prompt payment
Statute sets deadlinesOn written private construction contracts (except residential projects under $400,000), a pay request is deemed approved 21 days after the owner receives it unless specific items are disapproved in writing, and the owner must pay within 7 days after approval; the contractor must pay subs within 7 days after being paid (MCA 28-2-2103). Payments more than 30 days late bear interest at 1.5% per month (MCA 28-2-2104), and the winner gets attorney fees. leg.mt.gov
Retainage
Capped at 5%On contracts covered by the payment act (not residential projects under $400,000), retainage may not exceed 5%, a contractor may not hold more from a sub than the owner holds from it, and retainage must be released on final acceptance of each separately priced portion of work (MCA 28-2-2110). leg.mt.gov

Statutes read

Heating and cooling season in Montana

Degree days, NOAA’s index of the energy it takes to heat or cool a building: each degree a day’s mean temperature falls below 65 °F is one heating degree day, each degree above is one cooling degree day. Thirty-year normals for Billings airport, month by month.

Heating degree days
6,754
Cooling degree days
663
Nights ≤ 32 °F
142
Days ≥ 90 °F
32
Normal heating and cooling degree days (base 65 °F) and freezing nights by month at Billings airport, NOAA 1991–2020 normals
MonthHeatingCoolingNights ≤ 32 °F
Jan1,180027
Feb995024
Mar839021
Apr577111
May314142
Jun9081–
Jul12269–
Aug25231–
Sep16862–
Oct53458
Nov864021
Dec1,158028

Heating carries the load at Billings airport: 6,754 heating degree days a year against 663 cooling degree days, peaking in January (1,180).

The lightest months for heating and cooling together are June and September (170 and 230 degree days).

Nights at or below 32 °F: about 142 a year, ten or more a month in November through April; 13 at or below 0 °F. Days reaching 90 °F: about 32 a year, the most in July.

Weighted by where Montana’s people live, NOAA’s statewide normals (1981–2010) are 7,853 heating and 222 cooling degree days — 5th for heating and 45th for cooling among the 48 contiguous states (the contiguous U.S.: 4,332 and 1,272).

Station: Billings airport (USW00024033), NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 — station file; statewide figures: NOAA Climate Prediction Center. Bars share one scale: the longest is 1,180 degree days. Read .

Sources

Each page opened on the date shown. License, registration, lien and workers’ comp sources are linked beside each fact above. Figures change: the agency’s own page wins over this one.

  1. May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates (state file oesm25st)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  2. Occupational Employment and Wages — May 2025 (news release USDL-26-0725, May 15, 2026)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  3. Public Data API (national OEWS series for the three occupations)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · read October 28, 2026
  4. Unemployment insurance tax rates (uid.dli.mt.gov)Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division (Contributions Bureau) · read October 28, 2026
  5. Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, Effective July 2026U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance · read October 28, 2026
  6. Sales Tax Guidance for Montana Business and ResidentsMontana Department of Revenue · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  7. Contractor’s 1% Gross Receipts TaxMontana Department of Revenue · no date shown · read October 24, 2026
  8. MCA 71-3-521 to 71-3-564 — TITLE 71. MORTGAGES, PLEDGES, AND LIENS, CHAPTER 3. LIENS, Part 5. Construction LiensOfficial state code · read November 4, 2026
  9. Workers’ compensation coverage requirementsMontana Department of Labor & Industry, Employment Standards Division (Compliance Bureau) · read November 4, 2026
  10. U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, Billings airport (USW00024033)NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · read November 4, 2026
  11. Population-weighted daily heating and cooling degree day normals, 1981–2010 (states and CONUS)NOAA National Weather Service, Climate Prediction Center · read November 4, 2026