Employee Cost Calculator
Employee benefits cost guide with typical costs by industry and company size. Learn how benefits affect total employee costs.
Open the CalculatorPre-configured with your state tax rates. Adjust salary, benefits, and overhead to model your specific hire.
Total Annual Cost
$101,207
Loaded multiplier: 1.27× base salary
Open the interactive calculator to adjust every input and export a PDF report.
Benefits are usually the largest non-tax add-on to salary. Health insurance dominates, followed by retirement, paid time off, and ancillary coverage.
Total employer-paid benefits typically add $6,000–$14,000 per employee per year, depending on industry and plan generosity. The calculator’s benefits input is a monthly figure you can set to match your actual plan.
A category-by-category breakdown of common employer-paid benefits.
| Benefit | Typical annual cost |
|---|---|
| Health insurance | $6,000–$12,000 |
| 401(k) employer match (3–5%) | $2,400–$4,000 |
| Dental & vision | $300–$700 |
| Life & disability insurance | $200–$600 |
| Paid time off (allocated) | Varies |
Each $100/month of benefits moves the fully loaded cost and the burden multiplier.
For an $80,000 employee, adding $650/month in benefits (the calculator default) raises the fully loaded cost by $7,800/year and lifts the multiplier by roughly 0.10×. See the dedicated benefits impact analysis for the full sweep.
Every rate and formula is checked against the issuing agency before publication. Last updated 2026-08-24.
IRS
FICA, FUTA tax rate & wage base
U.S. DOL
FUTA credit, federal wage & hour
State Workforce Agencies
SUTA rates, wage bases, new-employer rates
BLS
Industry salary benchmarks & turnover
The fully loaded cost of an employee is the total annual cost to employ them: base salary plus employer payroll taxes (FICA, FUTA, SUTA), workers’ compensation, benefits, and overhead. Using TrueHireCost’s current default assumptions, an $80,000 employee has an estimated annual employer cost of approximately $101,207. Actual costs vary by state, benefits, workers’ compensation, retirement contributions, and overhead. Under those defaults the loaded multiplier is about 1.27× base salary ($101,207).
TrueHireCost adds employer FICA (7.65%), federal and state unemployment tax, workers’ comp (varies by state and industry), benefits, and overhead to the base salary. You can adjust each input for any U.S. state and industry.
Employers pay 7.65% FICA (6.2% Social Security + 1.45% Medicare), FUTA (up to 0.6% on the first $7,000), state unemployment (SUTA), and state disability insurance where applicable.
Yes. The TrueHireCost employee cost calculator is free to use, requires no sign-up, and works for all 50 U.S. states and 20 major industries.
For Estimation Purposes Only
TrueHireCost provides cost estimates for informational purposes only and is not professional tax, legal, or HR advice. Actual employer costs vary by experience rating, industry classification, carrier, and jurisdiction. Consult a qualified CPA, tax advisor, or HR professional before making hiring or payroll decisions.