Typical annual overheads for an NZ painting business are $12,000–$26,000 for a sole trader. Major costs include vehicle expenses ($5,000–$10,000/yr), insurance ($2,000–$5,000/yr), ACC levies ($2,000–$4,000/yr), tools and equipment ($1,000–$3,000/yr), admin ($1,000–$2,000/yr), and marketing ($500–$2,000/yr). Your overhead rate should be 10–20% of every quote. NZ painter pricing data — updated April 2026.
Prices last updated: April 2026
You're covering materials and labour in your quotes but not your real business costs — and wondering where the money goes.
Build overheads into your quotes →You're starting a painting business and need to understand the ongoing costs beyond paint and wages.
You want to benchmark your overheads against industry norms and find areas to reduce costs.
| Category | Low Estimate | High Estimate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle (fuel, maintenance, rego) | $5,000 | $10,000 | Work van or ute |
| Insurance (all policies) | $2,000 | $5,000 | Public liability, vehicle, tools |
| ACC levies | $2,000 | $4,000 | Based on earnings |
| Tools & equipment | $1,000 | $3,000 | Replacement and repairs |
| Admin & accounting | $1,000 | $2,000 | Software, accountant, phone |
| Marketing | $500 | $2,000 | Online listings, cards, website |
| Total annual overheads | $11,500 | $26,000 | Sole trader |
Overheads are the costs of running your business that aren't directly tied to a specific job. They include:
Many painters only account for materials and labour when quoting, then wonder why they're not making money. If your overheads are $20,000/year and you do 40 jobs, each job needs to carry $500 in overhead costs — before you add any profit margin.
Here's what a typical sole trader painting business spends annually:
Your overhead rate tells you how much to add to every job to cover business costs:
As a percentage, overheads represent 10–20% of your total quote value. If your quotes consistently show less than 10% overhead allocation, you're probably undercharging. Use our pricing guide to check your formula.
Build overheads, materials, labour, and margin into every quote automatically. Stop leaving money on the table.
There are two common methods for including overheads in quotes:
Whichever method you use, the key is consistency. Apply overheads to every quote, every time. Even small jobs need to contribute to your overhead costs.
For a step-by-step process, see our quoting guide which covers how to build overheads into a professional quote.
Overheads should be 10–20% of your total quote value. For a sole trader with $15,000–$20,000 in annual overheads, this usually works out to $10–$15 per billable hour added to your charge-out rate.
Yes. Even sole traders have significant overheads — vehicle costs, insurance, ACC, tools, and admin. If you're not tracking and recovering these costs in your quotes, you're effectively working for less than you think. Track all business expenses monthly.
Compare insurance quotes annually, maintain your vehicle to avoid expensive repairs, buy quality tools that last longer, use accounting software instead of a full-time accountant, and focus marketing spend on what actually generates leads (usually Google Business Profile and word of mouth).
No. Your wages (or drawings) are a separate cost, not an overhead. Overheads are the costs of running the business on top of labour and materials. Your quote formula should be: Labour + Materials + Overheads + Profit Margin.
Build overheads, materials, labour, and margin into every quote automatically. Stop leaving money on the table.