Headcount Plan Calculator
How many hires your revenue and runway support.
Enter your values
Enter the annual revenue in $.
Enter the target payroll share of revenue in %.
Enter the current annual payroll in $.
Enter the fully loaded cost per new hire in $.
Enter the cash in the bank in $.
Enter the current monthly burn in $.
Results update instantly as you type — no submit needed. Your values are remembered on this device, and the shareable link reopens the calculator with exactly these numbers.
- Hires you can afford
- 2
- Payroll budget remaining
- $260,000.00
- Current payroll share
- 36.9%
- Runway today
- 21.4 months
- Runway after hiring
- 15.1 months
- New monthly burn
- $59,500.00
- Revenue needed per new hire
- $233,333.33
Quick answer
Affordable headcount = (revenue × target payroll share) ÷ fully loaded cost per employee, capped by the runway you are prepared to spend.
Hires = (revenue × payroll % − current payroll) ÷ cost per hire
At a glance
| What it does | How many hires your revenue and runway support. |
|---|---|
| Category | Business |
| Inputs needed | Annual revenue, Target payroll share of revenue, Current annual payroll, Fully loaded cost per new hire, Cash in the bank, Current monthly burn |
| Main output | Hires you can afford |
| Formula | Hires = (revenue × payroll % − current payroll) ÷ cost per hire |
| Cost | Free — no sign-up, no download |
How to use the Headcount Plan Calculator
- 1Enter annual revenue and the payroll share you are targeting.
- 2Enter current payroll and the fully loaded cost of a new hire.
- 3Add cash and burn to see the runway impact.
Inputs explained
- Annual revenue($)
- Enter the annual revenue in $.
- Target payroll share of revenue(%)
- Enter the target payroll share of revenue in %.
- Current annual payroll($)
- Enter the current annual payroll in $.
- Fully loaded cost per new hire($)
- Enter the fully loaded cost per new hire in $.
- Cash in the bank($)
- Enter the cash in the bank in $.
- Current monthly burn($)
- Enter the current monthly burn in $.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Annual revenue3200000 $
- Target payroll share of revenue45 %
- Current annual payroll1180000 $
- Fully loaded cost per new hire105000 $
- Cash in the bank900000 $
- Current monthly burn42000 $
Results
- Hires you can afford2
- Payroll budget remaining$260,000.00
- Current payroll share36.9%
- Runway today21.4 months
- Runway after hiring15.1 months
- New monthly burn$59,500.00
- Revenue needed per new hire$233,333.33
Frequently asked questions
What payroll share is healthy?
Service businesses run 40–55% of revenue; product companies 25–40%. Above 60% there is rarely enough left for marketing and profit.
What is fully loaded cost?
Salary plus payroll taxes, benefits, equipment, software and recruiting — typically 1.25–1.4× the base salary.
What do I need to enter into the Headcount Plan Calculator?
Just 6 values: annual revenue, target payroll share of revenue, current annual payroll, fully loaded cost per new hire, cash in the bank, current monthly burn. Every field starts with a realistic example, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result update instantly.
How does the Headcount Plan Calculator work out the answer?
Affordable headcount = (revenue × target payroll share) ÷ fully loaded cost per employee, capped by the runway you are prepared to spend. It applies the formula Hires = (revenue × payroll % − current payroll) ÷ cost per hire and shows the working so you can check each step by hand.
Is the Headcount Plan Calculator free, and do I need an account?
It is completely free with no sign-up, no download and no usage limit. Everything is calculated in your browser, so the numbers you type never leave your device.
Results are estimates for general information. For medical, legal, structural or financial decisions, confirm with a qualified professional.