What Fringe Is
Fringe is the bundle of employer-side costs layered on top of a crew member's pay rate to estimate the true cost of labor — things like FUTA, Medicare, Social Security, SUTA, and Workers Comp. It's not money your crew sees on a paycheck; it's the additional cost your business carries to employ them.
When LASSO shows you "Fringe" on a roster, crewing page, or quote margin estimate, that's the calculated percentage layered onto pay so you can forecast and budget against the real cost of labor — not just the rate you're paying.
Where You'll See Fringe in LASSO
Fringe estimates show up across the Scheduling experience:
Roster page — included in total cost and projected revenue
Crewing page — included in the hourly cost breakdown (click the ? icon next to the cost to see how it's built)
Schedule+ — when scheduled shifts are used, fringe is layered into the cost calculation if it's set up on your account
Quote Margin Estimate — for accounts with estimated fringe, you can toggle fringe on or off per quote to see margin with and without it
Located on the right side of the quote page. Click "Detailed View" to see more.
Travel Costs — included in the "Crew Pay Cost"
Express Labor Quoting — a fringe toggle is available in the Express Labor Quoting (ELQ) view
Click the icon next tot he schedule at the top of the Schedule+ page to access Express Labor quoting
A couple of important notes on scope:
Crew members don't see fringe. It's an internal cost number.
Fringe is applied based on the crew member's state of residence, not the state where the event takes place.
Fringe does not flow into Timekeeping or Payroll — it's a Scheduling-side cost estimate only.
How Fringe Is Calculated
Your account's fringe percentage is built from up to five components:
Rate | Who Sets It | Update Cadence |
FUTA (Federal Unemployment) | LASSO | Auto-updated yearly based on federal rates |
Medicare | LASSO | Auto-updated yearly based on federal rates |
Social Security | LASSO | Auto-updated yearly based on federal rates |
SUTA (State Unemployment) | You, via Support | When you send us new numbers |
Workers Comp | You, via Support | When you send us new numbers |
The federal three (FUTA, Medicare, Social Security) are maintained for you — you don't need to do anything when the IRS publishes new numbers each year. The state-specific two (SUTA and Workers Comp) are unique to your business and need to come from you.
How to Adjust Fringe on Your Account
Fringe rates aren't edited from the Company Settings page — there's no fringe percentage field there, and it isn't a permission you can toggle on for yourself. Fringe is configured at the account level by the LASSO team.
To make a change, contact Support — we'll get it taken care of for you. Here's what we can do:
Provide your updated SUTA or Workers Comp percentage — send us the new rate(s) and the effective date
Request fringe to be turned off entirely for your account — useful if your accounting software already handles employer-side costs and you don't want them layered into LASSO's cost estimates
Help you understand what's currently set up if you're not sure
What to include when you reach out
To get your update processed quickly, please share:
Your company name and LASSO subdomain (e.g., yourcompany.lasso.io)
Which rate you'd like changed (SUTA, Workers Comp, or both)
The new percentage and the date it should take effect
If you're turning fringe off or on, just say so — that's all we need
You can reach Support through by emailing [email protected].
A Few Things to Keep in Mind
Not retroactive. When fringe rates are updated, the new percentage applies going forward. Events already quoted or rostered keep the rate that was in effect when the calculations were built.
Quote margins vs. actuals. The fringe number on a quote is an estimate. The actual cost of labor — once payroll runs — is what hits your books. Use fringe to forecast and price; use payroll exports to reconcile.
Year-end transitions. For events that span calendar years, LASSO accounts for the federal rate changes that take effect January 1 so your estimates stay accurate across the boundary.
Custom flat percentages aren't supported today. We can only repurpose existing rate fields, so adding a singular mark up isn't possible at this point in time. Talk to your CSM if this is important for your business.
Have a question we didn't cover? Reach out to [email protected] — we're happy to walk through your specific setup.