Build accurate hiring budgets for growing teams. Adjust salaries, start months, and cost assumptions easily. Generate totals, role breakdowns, and export files for approvals.
| Role | Headcount | Annual salary | Start month | Bonus % | Benefits % | Taxes % | Overhead / month | Recruiting | Equipment | Onboarding | Training |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiter | 1 | $55,000 | 2 | 8% | 18% | 7.65% | $250 | $1,500 | $700 | $500 | $300 |
| Sales Account Executive | 2 | $70,000 | 4 | 12% | 20% | 7.65% | $300 | $1,200 | $1,000 | $600 | $400 |
| Data Analyst | 1 | $62,000 | 7 | 10% | 22% | 7.65% | $250 | $1,000 | $900 | $500 | $400 |
A hiring budget becomes usable when assumptions are explicit. Enter role titles, planned headcount, annual base salary, and the month each hire starts. The model converts start month into months budgeted using 13 minus start month, so a June start budgets seven months. This approach ties staffing plans to delivery timelines, and it keeps finance and HR aligned on what is included in the current year versus next year.
Base pay is only the foundation. The calculator adds role‑level bonus, benefits, and statutory payroll taxes as percentages of prorated salary, then layers monthly overhead per employee. Overhead is a practical proxy for licenses, equipment depreciation, workspace, and support functions. One‑time costs are captured per hire for recruiting, equipment, onboarding, and training. Separating these components helps you see what drives spend and which levers to adjust first.
Proration can make an aggressive plan look affordable, so compare it with a full‑year run rate. A late‑year hire may fit this year’s budget, yet create a larger baseline commitment in the following year. The summary includes an average monthly burn by dividing the total budget by twelve, which supports planning. Use the role breakdown to spot which start months and headcounts create the steepest step‑ups.
For planning rigor, build multiple scenarios. Create a base case, then adjust headcount, salaries, or timing to model conservative and growth cases. Apply a contingency percentage to cover uncertainty such as extended vacancies, compensation market shifts, or additional onboarding needs. Standardize default assumptions for bonus, benefits, taxes, overhead, and per‑hire costs, then override only when a role is truly different. Consistency improves review speed and reduces debate.
Stakeholders approve faster when outputs are clear. The summary rolls up prorated compensation, overhead, one‑time costs, contingency, and the total budget for the selected year. The role table explains totals with headcount, months budgeted, and each cost category, making it easy to audit. Export the CSV for spreadsheet modeling and the PDF for sign‑offs. When sharing, note currency, planning year, and the timing assumptions used.
It prorates salary-based costs using months budgeted, calculated as 13 minus the start month. Benefits, taxes, and bonus percentages are applied to the prorated salary, while overhead is multiplied by months and headcount.
Use a monthly estimate for shared operating costs tied to each employee, such as software seats, IT support, workspace, and tools. Keep it consistent across roles unless a role requires unusually expensive systems.
No. Recruiting, equipment, onboarding, and training are treated as one-time per hire. The full-year view still includes those one-time items, but only once, to help you separate recurring commitments from setup costs.
Add contingency when hiring outcomes are uncertain—longer time-to-fill, compensation adjustments, or additional onboarding needs. Many teams start with 3–10% and adjust based on historical variance and market conditions.
Yes. Defaults provide a baseline, but you can override bonus, benefits, taxes, overhead, and per-hire costs on any role line. This helps model sales roles, executive hires, or contractors with different cost profiles.
Run the calculation, then download CSV for deeper analysis and PDF for sign-off. Pair the export with a brief note on start months, headcount assumptions, and whether totals reflect prorated costs or full-year run rate.
Important Note: All the Calculators listed in this site are for educational purpose only and we do not guarentee the accuracy of results. Please do consult with other sources as well.