Liquidity$2 500
Free Strategy Tool

Employee Cost Calculator

Fully Loaded Labor Costs

Min Hourly Rate Required$150.12
Gross Goal$16 250
Monthly Hrs108h

Output Benchmarks

Lean1.2x Base
Remote, no benefits
Standard1.35x
Taxes + Health
Corporate1.5x+
Office + Perks + 401k

How to use this Employee Cost Calculator

01

Input Data

Enter your current HR metrics into the labeled fields above.

02

Analyze Ratios

Instantly view efficiency ratios calculated against elite standards.

03

Optimize

Compare your results with the Benchmarks on the right to find leverage points.

Strategic Context

THE STRATEGIC VIEW

YOU ARE THE BOTTLENECK

If your business requires a "genius" to run it, you don't have a business; you have an expensive, high-stress job.

The Conflict: Most founders pride themselves on being "irreplaceable." This is ego speaking. If you are irreplaceable, you are a hostage.

The Fix: Build a system that produces a predictable result even if a "mediocre" person is at the controls. You are the architect, not the bricklayer.

Operational Reality

THE "BURDENED" RATE

The salary you agree to ($100k) is not what the employee costs you.

You must factor in the "Burden": Payroll Taxes (7-15%), Health Insurance ($500-$1500/mo), Equipment ($3k), and Software Licenses ($500/mo).

Typically, the "True Cost" is 1.3x to 1.5x the Base Salary.

HOURLY LEAKAGE

If you pay an employee $50/hour, but they spend 2 hours/day in meetings and 1 hour on "Admin", their "Effective Productive Rate" is nearly $100/hour.

Use this tool to calculate what you are *actually* paying for productive output vs paying for "attendance".

Tactical FAQ

TACTICAL Q&A

Q: Contractor vs Employee cost?
A: Contractors have a 0% burden (you pay invoice, they pay taxes). Employees have 30% burden. A $100/hr Contractor is often cheaper than a $70/hr Employee once you factor in the burden and severance risk.
Q: How to reduce the "Burden"?
A: You can't. Payroll taxes are mandatory. The only way to reduce burden is to hire contractors or offshore employees in lower-tax jurisdictions. Don't try to "1099" full-time employees—it's illegal and the IRS will destroy you.
Q: What hidden costs am I missing?
A: Recruitment fees (15-30% of salary), onboarding time (2-3 months to full productivity), management overhead (10-20% of your time), and severance risk (2-6 months salary if you fire them). The "fully loaded" multiplier is often 1.5x-2.2x base salary.
Recommended Course

Master The System

This calculator is just one tactical step. The full strategy is documented in the core protocol.

Source Lesson

Operations Mastery: HR Protocol

Start Lesson →

Related concepts

#ARPU#ROI#KPI