Hours and labor cost from your production rate
The production rate is the number that decides whether a job makes money, and it is the number most estimates guess at. Put your own in and see what the hours actually cost you.
Result
Production rates are specific to your crew, your prep standard and the surface. The point of tracking actual hours against quoted hours is to replace this guess with your own measured number.
Questions
What is a realistic production rate for painting?
It varies enormously by surface and prep standard — open wall rolling is many times faster than cut-in or trim. Use your own measured rates; that is why tracking actual hours matters.
What is payroll burden?
Everything on top of the wage: payroll taxes, insurance, workers' compensation. Commonly 15–30%. Omitting it is the single most common way a job looks profitable and is not.
Or stop doing this in a calculator
Aerys prices the whole job from your own catalog and production rates, sends it with an accept link and an invoice already attached, and then tracks what the job actually cost against what you quoted.