Employee Total Cost Calculator
True cost of an employee beyond salary.
Enter your values
ⓘ Live results
Results
- Fully loaded annual cost
- $87200
- Burden cost
- $18200
- Load multiplier
- 1.34x
- Monthly cost
- $7266.67
Quick answer
Fully loaded employee cost is typically 1.25 to 1.4 times base salary once taxes, benefits and overhead are included.
total cost = salary x (1 + burden rate)
How to use the Employee Total Cost Calculator
- 1Enter the employee's base salary.
- 2Enter the payroll tax and benefits burden as a percentage.
- 3Add any per-employee overhead like equipment or office space.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Base salary65000 $/yr
- Payroll tax & benefits burden28 %
- Overhead per employee4000 $/yr
Results
- Fully loaded annual cost$87200
- Burden cost$18200
- Load multiplier1.34x
- Monthly cost$7266.67
Frequently asked questions
What is included in burden?
Employer payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement match and paid time off accrual.
Why does this matter for pricing?
Service businesses should price work using fully loaded cost, not just salary.
About this calculator
- Built and reviewed by James Whitfield · How we build and test calculators
- Report an error
Results are estimates for general information. For medical, legal, structural or financial decisions, confirm with a qualified professional.