UK employer planning

UK recruitment cost calculator

Estimate the cost of recruiting and starting a new employee, including salary, employer National Insurance, pension, adverts and onboarding.

This is for the cost of finding and starting a hire, not the employee's annual salary alone. Add the costs you expect to actually spend.

Estimated recruitment cost

£51,450.00

£40,000.00 salary before recruitment and setup costs

Gross salary
£40,000.00
Employer National Insurance
£5,250.00
Employer pension
£1,200.00
Advertising
£500.00
Recruiter / agency fee
£2,500.00
Onboarding / training
£750.00
Equipment / setup
£1,250.00

This is a planning estimate. It does not yet include the apprenticeship levy, benefits in kind, holiday accrual, payroll software, insurance, office overheads or sector-specific hiring costs.

What this calculator helps with

Recruitment cost is more than the salary itself. If you are hiring from scratch, the real bill often includes adverts, recruiter fees, onboarding and equipment as well as payroll cost.

Why it matters

This helps you budget for a hire before you make an offer, and compare one role with another when you are planning headcount for the year.

Important limits

This is a planning estimate rather than payroll or HR advice. It does not include the apprenticeship levy, holiday pay accrual, benefits in kind, insurance, office overheads or sector-specific hiring rules.