Hiring guide
Salary Is Only the First Line
A $60,000 employee does not cost $60,000.
Explain payroll burden, benefits, equipment, software, recruiting, ramp time, and manager time.
Find loaded cost
Payroll Burden
Find ramp cost
First 90-Day Hire Cost
The mistake
Salary is the visible line. Payroll taxes, benefits, PTO, recruiting, tools, equipment, management, and ramp time create the actual commitment.
The better move
Budget the fully loaded employee cost before deciding whether the role is affordable.
A practical way to use this guide
Pick one role, task group, or automation idea and describe the work in plain language before using a calculator. Include the repeatable work, the exception handling, the review time, and the decisions the owner still has to make. Hiring looks better on paper when those hidden pieces are left out.
The result can mislead you if revenue is seasonal, the process is undocumented, the owner is the only reviewer, or the new person would inherit unclear priorities. Use the linked tools to decide whether to hire, automate, simplify, or delete work. The best next step is often a smaller role, clearer standards, or removing low-value work before adding headcount.