Free calculator · for employers & founders

A salary is not what a hire costs. See the real number.

Base pay is only part of it — taxes, benefits, and overhead add up fast. Enter a salary to see the fully-loaded cost instantly, then model every role with the full planner.

Done-for-you template

True Cost of an Employee Calculator

See the fully-loaded cost of every hire — not just the salary.

  • Build up base salary + employer taxes + benefits + overhead per role
  • Fully-loaded annual cost, cost multiplier, and effective hourly rate
  • Compare several roles or hires side by side
  • Know the real cost before you make an offer or set a bill rate
  • Assumptions-driven · Excel & Google Sheets · delivered instantly
$29one-time · instant download
↩ 7-day money-back guarantee

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Questions

Why does an employee cost more than their salary?

On top of base pay, an employer typically covers payroll taxes, benefits (health, retirement, paid time off), equipment, software, and a share of overhead. Together these commonly add 20–40% or more on top of salary, so the true cost of a hire is meaningfully higher than the headline number.

What is the cost multiplier?

The cost multiplier is the fully-loaded annual cost divided by the base salary. A multiplier of 1.3, for example, means the employee really costs 1.3 times their salary once taxes, benefits, and overhead are included. It is a quick way to translate a salary into a true cost.

What is in the paid calculator?

A ready-to-use spreadsheet (Excel & Google Sheets): a build-up of base pay, taxes, benefits, and overhead into a fully-loaded cost, multiplier, and hourly rate, with room to compare roles — delivered instantly after checkout. AI-assisted, human-built; not financial or HR advice.

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