Employee Cost Calculator
Calculate total employer cost including salary, payroll taxes, benefits, PTO, equipment, and recruitment overhead.
What Is Total Employee Cost?
Gross salary is only part of what an employee costs. Employers also pay payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, equipment, training, and hiring overhead. This calculator estimates the full annual loaded cost so you can budget accurately.
Payroll Taxes Included
US employer payroll taxes in this tool include Social Security (6.2% up to the wage base), Medicare (1.45%), FUTA (0.6% up to $7,000), editable SUTA, and workers' compensation rate.
Benefits and Overhead
Add monthly health, dental, and vision premiums, life insurance as a salary percentage, 401(k) match, PTO value, annual equipment and training spend, and recruitment cost amortized over expected tenure.
Loaded Cost Multiplier
The multiplier compares total employer cost to gross pay. A 1.35× multiplier means each $1 of salary costs about $1.35 after taxes and benefits.
Related tools: use the Budget Calculator for team planning, the Break Even Calculator for revenue targets, and state Paycheck Calculators for employee-side take-home estimates.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is loaded cost higher than salary?
Employers pay taxes and benefits on top of wages. Health insurance and retirement matching are often the largest non-salary costs after payroll taxes.
Is this calculator only for US payroll?
Payroll tax defaults follow common US employer rates and wage bases. SUTA and workers' compensation are editable because they vary by state and industry.
How is PTO cost estimated?
PTO value is estimated by dividing annual gross pay by about 260 working days, then multiplying by the number of PTO days. This approximates paid time away from productive work.
Should recruitment cost be included every year?
Recruitment is usually a one-time cost. This tool amortizes it over expected tenure so annual budgeting reflects hiring friction for each role.
What is a typical loaded cost multiplier?
Many US employers see 1.25× to 1.45× for salaried roles with standard benefits. High-benefit or high-overhead roles can exceed 1.5×.
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