Test whether sold technician hours and the realized parts-and-labor mix can support the paid roster, usable bays, equipment, parts cash, warranty and rework capacity, standing costs, and the complete opening commitment. This California profile connects official wage and population benchmarks to a defined operating scenario.
Independent three-bay general automotive repair shop with two full-time paid automotive service technicians plus one full-time paid owner-manager/service-advisor replacement-cost role, ordinary diagnostic and mechanical-repair equipment, and a defined passenger-car and light-truck scope
State benchmarks: May / July 2025 · Page prepared September 28, 2026
We examined the available wage records for this independent three-bay general automotive repair shop with two full-time paid automotive service technicians plus one full-time paid owner-manager/service-advisor replacement-cost role, ordinary diagnostic and mechanical-repair equipment, and a defined passenger-car and light-truck scope, checked the Census population observations and calculated the staffing implications using the stated wage benchmarks. The results below show what that completed analysis establishes.
The same roster costs $21,989 at the selected California wage benchmarks versus $17,809 at national medians, including the stated employer-cost allowance. This isolates wage differences; it does not compare local rent or customer spending.
Inspect the roles and source rows →The reference operating month exceeds EBIT break-even by 10.8 completed repair orders per month. That is the sales margin available before the modeled operating profit disappears.
See the calculation and cash results →| Component | What the evidence establishes | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Wage records and state population | Selected May 2025 occupational records and July 2024/2025 Census estimates, with exact fields and source rows. | Source records checked |
| Paid payroll and break-even | Calculated from observed wage benchmarks and the explicitly modeled roster, employer allowance, price and costs. | Derived result |
| Opening budget and commercial costs | Published fit-out, equipment, occupancy and other allowances define this comparison scenario. State-specific commercial quotes have not yet replaced them. | Reference assumptions |
| Revenue | $70,125 per mature month follows 110 completed repair orders per month at the stated price. It is not observed sales or a researched state revenue average. | Modeled sales assumptions |
Each test changes one input from the published reference. These are sensitivity tests, not local market forecasts or probability ranges.
| Test | Monthly EBIT | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Published reference | $4,637 | The stated inputs on this page |
| 20% fewer sales units | -$4,845 | 88 completed repair orders per month; other inputs unchanged |
| 25% higher occupancy cost | $2,762 | $9,375 per month; other inputs unchanged |
| 10% higher wage rates | $2,438 | Same paid roster; employer allowance unchanged |
The completed research covers the source observations and analysis described here. The funding and revenue scenarios still contain commercial assumptions; they are not a completed local feasibility study. Read the evidence and its limits.
Published research and calculations support business planning and education. They are not personalized financial, investment, tax or legal advice, and they do not guarantee costs, revenue, profit or financing. Estimates depend on the stated format, location, source periods and assumptions. Check the requirements and commitments that apply to your circumstances.
For a California three-bay shop, price an address that permits automotive service, obtain the repair-dealer registration, build estimates and additional authorizations into every repair order, and quote the actual hazardous-waste setup and hauling plan. Treat 99.05 monthly orders as a wage-only threshold until local rent, equipment installation, parts economics and realized sold hours are verified.
The official observations below apply only to their stated jurisdiction, activity and period. The wage sensitivity keeps the same independent three-bay format, completed-order mix, labor realization, parts economics, rent, standing costs and capacity assumptions so the wage effect remains visible. It does not turn statewide industry activity into customer demand or a local forecast.
| Paid role | SOC | Hourly median |
|---|---|---|
| Paid owner-manager and service-advisor coverage | 49-1011 | $45 per hour |
| Two paid automotive service technicians | 49-3023 | $31 per hour |
With every nonwage input held at the national planning assumption, these wages produce $21,989 in loaded monthly payroll, $4,721 in monthly cash after maintenance and cash break-even at 99.05 completed repair orders. This isolates the wage change; it does not localize rent, installation, insurance, supplier terms, realized sold hours, repair-order demand or rework.
The reference case assumes 110 completed repair orders per month at $638 each. It calculates $70,125 in monthly revenue and $8,901 in cash after maintenance, with cash break-even at 89.35 orders. The entered management ceiling is 122 orders. One order counts only when the authorized included work, quality-control step and stated completion policy are satisfied; an estimate, deposit, parts order, warranty return or open invoice is not another completed order.
The 2022 Economic Census reports 9,547 employer establishments and 44,560 employees in NAICS 811111 for California. Employer establishments in NAICS 811111, including general automotive repair shops and automotive engine repair/replacement shops of many sizes and service mixes. These industry totals do not establish local demand, a realized ticket, parts mix, bay use or the economics of one three-bay shop.
May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tables · 2022 Economic Census BASIC · Apply for a license · Write It Right · Used Oil Generator Requirements · Minimum Wage · Approved state research standard
This research supports business planning and education. It is not personalized financial, legal, tax or investment advice and does not guarantee costs, sales, profit, financing or regulatory approval.
This completed planning profile combines checked state wage and population sources with a transparent financial scenario. Use its opening-cost, operating-cost and revenue figures as planning inputs, then replace location-sensitive assumptions when evaluating a specific address or service area.
| Evidence family | Published basis | What to confirm locally |
|---|---|---|
| Opening costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | premises scope, fitout, equipment, installation freight tax, deposits, preopening training, opening inventory, contingency |
| Operating costs | Published planning inputs — replace with local quotes | occupancy, utilities, insurance, materials, payment fees, marketing, software administration, maintenance |
| Paid labor and employer costs | State wage benchmark used — confirm employer costs | paid roster, wages, wage floor overtime, employer taxes, benefits leave, workers compensation, owner role |
| Revenue and collections | Published planning inputs — validate price and demand locally | realized price mix, demand volume, capacity, industry cross check, launch ramp, seasonality, collections |
| Permissions and fees | Confirm for the selected address | activity address jurisdiction, initial fees, recurring fees |
National equipment prices can support the plan where configuration, delivery and taxes match the intended purchase. Confirm rent, selling prices, demand and permissions for the actual location instead of applying a generic state adjustment.
The Census estimate for California is 39,355,309 people. It declined by 9,465 between July 2024 and July 2025 (−0.02%). This statewide movement cannot identify a viable repair-order mix, realized labor-and-parts contribution or deliverable technician-and-bay schedule.
Using the same paid roster, California occupational wages produce $21,989 of monthly loaded payroll. That is +23.48% relative to the identical roster priced with national occupation medians ($17,809). Only wage benchmarks change in this comparison; it does not measure a state’s overall business attractiveness.
BLS wage source · Census population source · Exact fields and workbook rows
Independent three-bay general automotive repair shop with two full-time paid automotive service technicians plus one full-time paid owner-manager/service-advisor replacement-cost role, ordinary diagnostic and mechanical-repair equipment, and a defined passenger-car and light-truck scope. A three-bay independent general repair shop that earns from completed passenger-car and light-truck repair orders through two paid technicians and one paid combined owner-manager/service-advisor replacement role.
Two paid technicians supply 346.67 monthly hours. At 110 completed repair orders, the authored plan uses 275.00 direct technician-hours, 30.00 nonbillable technician-hours, and 6.60 no-charge rework hours. The entered 122-order management ceiling uses 342.32 technician-hours and 390.40 of 528.00 available bay-hours. Actual diagnosis, technician efficiency, bay blocking, parts delays, approvals, vehicle mix, equipment downtime, and rework history remain unverified; capacity is not demand.
| Input | Reference assumption |
|---|---|
| completed repair orders per month | 110 |
| Net selling price per completed repair order | $637.50 |
| Trading days / month | Monthly recurring-account model |
| Variable cost share | 32.4% |
| Occupancy / month | $7,500 |
| Other fixed costs / month | $10,700 |
| Employer cost allowance | 18% above base wages |
Separate parts cost, direct consumables, sublet work, payment fees, core and return losses, and the entered warranty and rework allowance from paid roster labor. The final percentage adapter for the shared model must reconcile exactly to the research-bound parts-and-labor mix. Keep occupancy, utilities, insurance, shop software, waste and environmental services, recurring marketing, professional support, training, uniforms, security, and administration visible. Model equipment maintenance separately. Every amount remains an authored scenario input until the evidence map establishes its scope.
| Role / SOC | Paid hours / month | Wage benchmark / hour | P25–P75 / hour | Base wages / month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Two paid automotive service technicians49-3023 · Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics · State observation | 346.7 | $31.24 | $22.39–$37.05 | $10,830 |
| Paid owner-manager and service-advisor replacement-cost coverage49-1011 · First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers · State observation | 173.3 | $45.03 | $35.05–$57.72 | $7,805 |
Base wages total $18,635 per month. An authored 18% allowance for employer costs adds $3,354, giving $21,989 of loaded payroll. The allowance is a planning shortcut; it is not a state-specific payroll tax calculation or benefits quote for California.
Occupational wage rows are broad period-and-geography anchors for the disclosed roster. They do not establish shop-specific hiring terms, flat-rate or hourly compensation, technician credentials, lawful scheduling, employer obligations, service-advisor duties, or unpaid owner capacity. Every operating role is paid, including management or supervision. If the owner performs a modeled role, their compensation occupies that role once; no additional owner draw is included in operating profit.
The middle 50% wage interval describes the occupation’s observed wage distribution. It is not a confidence interval for this business’s total payroll. Allocate the aggregate hours across an actual roster and check wage rules, overtime, leave and employer obligations for the chosen location.
| Use of funds | Cash paid |
|---|---|
| Three-bay leasehold, electrical, compressed-air, lighting and spill-containment allowance | $55,000 |
| Three vehicle lifts, installation and site-preparation allowance | $30,000 |
| Diagnostic computers, meters, specialty and shared shop tools | $35,000 |
| Air compressor and distribution allowance | $10,000 |
| Wheel, tire and brake-service equipment allowance | $22,000 |
| Opening parts, fluids and consumables stock | $20,000 |
| Shop-management software, computers, phones and office setup | $8,000 |
| Registration, environmental, insurance-deposit and professional setup allowance | $12,000 |
| Exterior sign, website and launch marketing allowance | $12,000 |
| PPE, fire, spill-response, waste-storage and safety setup | $8,000 |
| Opening contingency | $25,000 |
| Refundable deposit (two months of occupancy) | $15,000 |
| Paid pre-opening training | $4,229 |
| Total payments before opening | $256,229 |
The equipment and premises allowances are the same in all 50 states for this operating format. They are a comparison baseline and must be replaced with local scopes and quotes. Training uses 100 aggregate paid hours at the modeled team’s weighted loaded rate. The refundable deposit is cash tied up, not an operating expense.
The cash schedule tests 60 months, with sales ramping through 40%, 55%, 70%, 82%, 90%, 96%, 100% of the volume assumption. Full payroll and fixed costs begin in month one. The reserve covers the deepest cumulative operating deficit plus the stated buffer. A buffer is retained cash, not spending and not part of project payback twice.
Keep estimates, authorizations, deposits, parts orders, core charges, work in process, completed work, invoices, collections, refunds, chargebacks, warranty credits, supplier terms, taxes, and financing in separate schedules. A deposit or parts authorization changes cash timing but is not another completed repair order or immediate earned revenue. Asset purchases are depreciated over 60 months for this scenario. No sale or deposit recovery is assumed at the end.
At the assumed 110 completed repair orders per month, the reference scenario produces $4,637 of mature monthly EBIT, a 6.6% operating margin. It requires 99.2 completed repair orders per month for EBIT break-even. This result depends on unverified selling price, demand and premises inputs.
| Measure | Monthly amount |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $70,125 |
| Variable operating costs | $22,715 |
| Loaded payroll, including management | $21,989 |
| Occupancy assumption | $7,500 |
| Other fixed operating costs | $10,700 |
| EBITDA | $7,221 |
| Depreciation | $2,583 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | $4,637 |
| Maintenance capital expenditure | $2,500 |
| Mature project cash flow | $4,721 |
EBIT break-even revenue is $63,266 per month: $42,773 of fixed costs plus depreciation divided by a 67.6% contribution margin. At $637.50 per completed repair order, that means 99.2 completed repair orders per month and 81.3% of the stated capacity.
| Measure | Months 1–12 | Mature month |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $724,391 | $70,125 |
| Operating profit (EBIT) | -$23,527 | $4,637 |
| Project cash flow | -$27,202 | $4,721 |
Project payback is not reached within the 60-month reference schedule. It measures recovery of actual pre-opening payments from cumulative project cash, with no financing or owner distributions. It does not measure cash paid back to an owner.
Declined work, unapproved additions, parts on order, work in process, deposits, open invoices, warranty returns, refunds, and chargebacks can make the shop look busy without producing the collected contribution used by the model.
A labor guide or billed hour does not prove that a technician or bay was available. Diagnosis, rust, parts delays, quality control, documentation, cleanup, and difficult access can consume more clock and bay time than the order sells.
Change the assumptions to see how this format responds. The sections above remain the published reference, so you can compare your scenario with the original. Use the browser-local export buttons below to save only the scenario you are working on.
Reference scenario. JavaScript enables editing and exports.
110 completed repair orders per month × $637.50 = $70,125 revenue. Loaded payroll: $21,989 per month. Break-even uses 81.3% of capacity.
The download preserves the published scenario and its source references.
Describe the exact entity, ownership, site, permitted use, vehicle types, three bays, lifts, employees, repair scope, air-conditioning or refrigerant work, welding, batteries, fluids, used oil, tires and other wastes, wastewater, vehicle storage, estimates, authorizations, parts policy, sublet work, insurance, customer documents, advertising, warranties, and any towing, inspection, collision, heavy-duty, mobile, or specialty work. Ask the responsible state and local offices, fire authority, environmental agencies, insurer, equipment vendors, and counsel which business, facility, technician, environmental, safety, consumer, tax, and record requirements apply.
| Workstream | Official starting points | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Business and activity | Which entity, name or activity registrations apply, and which local or specialist office also has responsibility? | |
| Tax | Which registrations and treatment apply to the actual goods or services, location and staffing arrangements? | |
| Employers | Which employer accounts, reporting steps and labor obligations apply to the planned paid roster? |
Take the activity, address, proposed equipment and staffing plan to the relevant office. Record applicability, supporting documents, fees, dependencies and renewal terms from the actual official response.
Agency routes were listed on the IRS California directory when retrieved September 5, 2026. Links identify starting offices; they do not verify a permit, tax treatment, fee or opening time for this business. Open the full California opening checklist →
Define a narrow light-duty general repair scope, vehicle types, labor operations, parts policy, warranty terms, and service area. Run lawful paid tests and record completed repair orders, sold and clock hours, bay-hours, parts, direct costs, collection, and rework.
Confirm permitted use, vehicle access and storage, lifts, electrical and ventilation needs, fire and life safety, wastewater and spill controls, used oil and other waste handling, insurance, technician or facility requirements, customer authorizations, and specialty-service limits before accepting work.
Build the reference order mix, supplier and return timing, productive technician schedule, usable bay schedule, equipment maintenance, ramp loss, warranty reserve, and cash buffer without assuming that every estimate becomes approved and collected work.
Repeat diagnosis, parts replacement, technician time, bay occupancy, customer recovery, refunds, supplier claims, and documentation belong to the original repair order and reduce capacity for new work.
For a selected address or service area, collect an evidence pack covering premises and equipment quotes, paid demand, staffing, collection terms and the responsible authorities. The state wage and population evidence on this page does not supply those location-specific inputs.
State: California, FIPS 06. Cross-industry, ownership 1235. H_MEDIAN supplies an available hourly benchmark; H_PCT25 and H_PCT75 describe the occupational distribution. 49-3023 (Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics), state workbook row 3372; 49-1011 (First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers), state workbook row 3357. Retrieved September 5, 2026.
The national comparison uses the same paid roster and these national H_MEDIAN observations: 49-3023, national workbook row 1095; 49-1011, national workbook row 1073. Any national value substituted for a suppressed state value is identified separately. National observations do not become state observations.
SUMLEV 040; STATE 06; POPESTIMATE2025 and POPESTIMATE2024. July 1 estimates; change and percentage change are calculated within the same vintage. Population is context, not a customer forecast.
OEWS covers employee jobs across industries. It is a statistical benchmark, not a hiring quote or legal wage floor. Employer benefits and overtime premiums are outside the wage measure; tips can be included.
An official route to the state government and major agencies. This directory does not confirm the fees, permits or approval times for a particular address or business.
All selling prices, demand, paid hours, employer allowance, premises, startup allowances, cost shares, ramp and cash buffer are authored planning inputs. No commercial quote or researched state total is implied.
A business format and a state record are joined by stable IDs. The shared calculation computes the outputs, and the template publishes static HTML with the source fields and original inputs. A change to evidence or a format triggers recalculation and review before republication.
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