Employer cost calculator for payroll, benefits, and burden
Enter salary, state, benefits level, and risk profile to estimate total employee cost, employer payroll cost, burden rate, and annual hiring cost for a W-2 employee.
Estimated annual cost
$0 - $0
Federal payroll taxes are high-confidence. SUTA and workers compensation are planning estimates unless you enter assigned rates.
Example estimate shown. Enter your inputs and select Calculate to create a current result.
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Email this result + payroll setup checklist
We will send the planning estimate you just calculated and a concise setup checklist. This is general information, not payroll, tax, legal, insurance, or HR advice.
Current context: Calculate a current estimate to attach its state and salary band.
Use this estimate to decide whether payroll software, a PEO, or an HRIS platform fits the hire.
General planning estimate only. Not payroll, tax, legal, insurance, or HR compliance advice.
State-specific planning
Calculate for any US state; read dedicated pages where the data supports them
The calculator covers all 50 states and DC. Dedicated pages are published only where current search demand and official data support a useful, specific answer.
Provider short-list
Compare payroll, PEO, HRIS, and global hiring options after the estimate
Provider comparisons are informational. Tracked partner links will appear only after a program approves EmployerCost; a click is never presented as revenue.
Employee cost formula
What employer cost includes beyond salary
Employer cost usually starts with wages, then adds employer-paid payroll taxes, state unemployment assumptions, workers compensation, benefits, and payroll administration. The calculator keeps variable items as ranges because actual cost changes by state, industry, class code, carrier, and employer history.
- Use the state directory when the hiring location drives the estimate.
- Use the payroll tax guide to separate employer taxes from employee withholding.
- Use the methodology when you need to see which inputs are high-confidence and which require employer-specific verification.
total = salary + FICA + FUTA + SUTA + workers_comp + benefits + admin
workers_comp = (salary / 100) * rate_per_100
suta = min(salary, wage_base) * employer_rate