How you pay your crew shapes how they work. Pay by the hour and you're paying for time. Pay by the square and you're paying for output. Neither is right for every company, and many roofers use a mix. What matters is choosing on purpose, writing it down and tracking it on every job.
Tip: Whether your roofers are employees or subcontractors isn't just a pay choice. It's decided by how the work is actually controlled, and it affects taxes, workers' comp and insurance. Rules vary by state, so check with your accountant before you set it up.
Paying by the hour
Simple and familiar. Good for repairs, small jobs, and helpers who are still learning.
- Works well when jobs vary a lot and are hard to price per square
- Fair to the crew on slow, tricky or weather-delayed days
- Downside: it rewards time, not speed, so you need to watch productivity
- You need reliable hours: a time clock beats memory at the end of the week
Paying by the square
Very common for installation crews. The crew earns more by working efficiently, and your labor cost per square is predictable, which makes bidding easier.
- Labor cost is easy to build into your price per square
- Rewards productive crews
- Downside: speed can beat care. Be clear about quality, cleanup and safety standards, and inspect the work
- Decide how you'll handle extras like steep pitch, extra layers or decking replacement
Tip: Base per-square pay on the measured squares from the bid, so everyone works from the same number and there are no end-of-job arguments.
Paying per job
A flat amount for a defined job. Handy for repeat job types like a standard repair or a small re-roof.
- Easy to understand and budget
- Works when the scope is clear before work starts
- Downside: surprises (rot, extra layers) need a clear rule for extra pay, agreed in advance
Day rate
A fixed amount per day worked. Common for experienced hands who move between jobs and tasks.
- Simple to track: days worked times the rate
- Good for flexible, mixed work
- Downside: like hourly, it pays for time rather than output, so plan the day well
Draws and advances
Crews often ask for money before a job is finished. Draws are fine if you track them carefully: record every draw when it's paid, and take it off what you owe at settlement. Unrecorded cash advances are one of the easiest ways for pay disputes to start.
Keep crew pay tied to the job
However you pay, file each pay line against the job it belongs to. That way every job's profit includes its real labor cost, and you'll quickly see which jobs, crews and pay methods actually make you money.
Pay on time, every time
Good crews are hard to find and easy to lose. Paying correctly and on schedule, with a clear breakdown of how the number was worked out, does more for loyalty than almost anything else.
Ridgewise handles this for you: set how each person is paid (by the hour, square, job or day rate) and their rate, and pay is worked out from the time clock or the bid's measured squares. Draws are recorded and settled, each pay line counts as labor on the job, and crew leaders see their own pay on their login, never your prices or profit.