HR Cost Calculator · WorkforceCost.com

The real cost of losing an employee

Most companies underestimate turnover costs by 3×. Enter your numbers to see what each departure actually costs your business.

About the role

Enter details for the position that was vacated.

Base salary of departing employee

$

% of salary (BLS avg ~30%)

%

Weeks until new hire starts

wks

% of output lost while vacant (default 70%)

%

% of total comp absorbed by team

%

Hiring & onboarding

Costs to find and ramp the replacement.

Agency fees, ads, background checks, referrals

$

All interviewers + debrief sessions

hrs

Blended hourly cost of your panel

$ /hr

Weeks until new hire is fully productive

wks

% of comp during ramp (default 15%)

%

% output gap during ramp (default 40%)

%

Estimated total cost of this departure

$0

That's the employee's annual salary — and doesn't include the morale cost to your remaining team.

Lost productivity
while role is open
$0
Team coverage & overtime $0
Direct recruiting expenses $0
Interview time cost $0
Onboarding overhead $0
Reduced output during ramp $0

How does this compare?

Published research estimates employee replacement costs by seniority level.

30–50% of salary for entry-level roles
100–150% of salary for mid-level roles
200%+ of salary for senior/exec roles

Sources: Center for American Progress; Work Institute 2023 Retention Report. Benefits default based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employer Costs for Employee Compensation. Onboarding (15%) and productivity gap (40%) are configurable estimates, not attributed to a specific published benchmark.

Want to reduce this number?

The right HR tools can cut turnover by 30–50%. These platforms are used by thousands of HR teams to improve retention, engagement, and hiring efficiency.