Add your employees on the left and click Calculate to see your full salary budget breakdown.
A salary budget is the total amount a company plans to spend on employee pay over a given period — usually one year. It covers base wages, employer taxes, benefits, bonuses, and any other people-related costs.
Getting this number right matters. If you undershoot, you may not be able to keep your team or attract new talent. If you overshoot, you can run into cash flow problems or have to make cuts later.
This calculator lets you add every role on your team, apply realistic overhead rates, and see the real annual cost — not just the salary number on the job offer.
The true cost of an employee is always higher than their stated salary. Here is how to break it down:
Rule of thumb: Total employment cost is often 1.2× to 1.4× the base salary, depending on your benefits package and location.
| Country | Employer Tax % | Typical Benefits % | Total Overhead % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | ~7.65% | 10–25% | 18–33% |
| 🇬🇧 UK | ~13.8% | 5–15% | 19–29% |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | ~7–12% | 8–20% | 15–32% |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | ~11% super | 5–15% | 16–26% |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | ~19–21% | 5–12% | 24–33% |
| 🇫🇷 France | ~25–45% | 3–8% | 28–53% |
| 🇮🇳 India | ~12% PF | 5–15% | 17–27% |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | ~28–35% | 5–10% | 33–45% |
A few things to keep in mind when building your annual salary budget:
Estimated total employer cost at different overhead rates (taxes + benefits + bonus).
| Base Salary | +15% overhead | +20% overhead | +25% overhead | +30% overhead | +35% overhead | +40% overhead |
|---|
Total Cost = Base Salary × (1 + Overhead Rate). Currency shown as $.
Extra annual cost per employee as overhead percentage changes.
| Overhead % | $40k salary | $60k salary | $80k salary | $100k salary | $120k salary |
|---|
Extra Cost = Base Salary × Overhead Rate. Values shown as additional annual spend on top of base.
Annual payroll budget at different average salaries and team sizes (20% overhead included).
| Team Size | $40k avg | $60k avg | $80k avg | $100k avg | $120k avg | $150k avg |
|---|
Assumes 20% total overhead. Total = Team Size × Avg Salary × 1.20.
A reference guide to statutory employer contribution rates worldwide.
| Country | Employer Tax Rate | What It Covers | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 USA | 7.65% | Social Security + Medicare | Plus state unemployment (FUTA/SUTA) |
| 🇬🇧 UK | 13.8% | National Insurance | Above £9,100 secondary threshold |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | ~7–13% | CPP + EI | Varies by province |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 11% | Superannuation (pension) | Rising to 12% by 2025 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | ~19–21% | Pension, health, unemployment, care | Split with employee ~50/50 |
| 🇫🇷 France | ~25–45% | Social security, pension, health | Among the highest in the world |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | ~14–16% | Pension, health, unemployment | Split roughly 50/50 with employee |
| 🇮🇳 India | ~12% | Provident Fund (EPF) | Plus 3.25% ESIC for eligible employees |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | ~28–35% | INSS, FGTS, SESI, SENAI | Varies by industry |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 17% | CPF (Central Provident Fund) | Applies to citizens and PRs only |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | ~2–3% | SDL + UIF | Relatively low employer burden |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | ~20–28% | IMSS, INFONAVIT, SAR | Includes housing fund |
Rates are approximate and change over time. Always confirm with a local payroll specialist before planning a budget.
Extra annual spend when giving a percentage raise to the whole team.
| Raise % | $200k payroll | $500k payroll | $1M payroll | $2M payroll | $5M payroll |
|---|
Extra Cost = Total Payroll × Raise Percentage. Helps you see how a merit cycle affects next year's budget.