Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Cost per hire
$15,381.67
Total recruiting spend
$184,580
Agency fees
$51,300
Interview time cost
$14,280
Internal cost per hire
$10,356.67
Cost per hire as % of salary
16.2%
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One click, a permanent link with your numbers baked in.
How to use this
- 1Enter hires made.
- 2Enter job ads and sourcing tools ($).
- 3Enter agency fee (% of salary).
- 4Enter hires placed by agencies.
- 5Enter average starting salary ($).
- 6Enter internal recruiting salaries ($).
- 7Enter interview hours per hire.
- 8Enter loaded interviewer cost ($/hr).
- 9Read your cost per hire on the right — it updates as you type.
- 10Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
SHRM puts average cost per hire near $4,700, but agency fees at 20% of first-year salary can push a single senior hire past $30,000 once internal time is counted.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Hires made: 12
- Job ads and sourcing tools: 9000 $
- Agency fee: 18 % of salary
- Hires placed by agencies: 3
- Average starting salary: 95000 $
- Internal recruiting salaries: 110000 $
- Interview hours per hire: 14
- Loaded interviewer cost: 85 $/hr
Results
- Cost per hire: $15,381.67
- Total recruiting spend: $184,580.00
- Agency fees: $51,300.00
- Interview time cost: $14,280.00
- Internal cost per hire: $10,356.67
- Cost per hire as % of salary: 16.2%
What each field means
Inputs
- Hires made
- The hires made used in the calculation. Starts at 12 so you have a working example on load.
- Job ads and sourcing tools ($)
- The job ads and sourcing tools used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 9000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Agency fee (% of salary)
- The agency fee used in the calculation, measured in % of salary. Starts at 18 % of salary so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–40 % of salary.
- Hires placed by agencies
- The hires placed by agencies used in the calculation. Starts at 3 so you have a working example on load.
- Average starting salary ($)
- The average starting salary used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 95000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Internal recruiting salaries ($)
- The internal recruiting salaries used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 110000 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Interview hours per hire
- The interview hours per hire used in the calculation. Starts at 14 so you have a working example on load.
- Loaded interviewer cost ($/hr)
- The loaded interviewer cost used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 85 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
Results
- Cost per hire
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Total recruiting spend
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Agency fees
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Interview time cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Internal cost per hire
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Cost per hire as % of salary
- Returned as a percentage. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How does the cost per hire calculator work?
SHRM puts average cost per hire near $4,700, but agency fees at 20% of first-year salary can push a single senior hire past $30,000 once internal time is counted. The underlying maths is: Cost per hire = (External + internal costs) ÷ hires made.
What do I need to enter?
8 values: hires made, job ads and sourcing tools, agency fee, hires placed by agencies, average starting salary, internal recruiting salaries, interview hours per hire, and loaded interviewer cost. Each field starts with a sensible default, so you can change one number at a time and watch the result move.
What does the cost per hire result mean?
It is returned as a money amount in US dollars and updates live as you edit the inputs, so you can compare two or three versions of a scenario in a few seconds.
Is this calculator free, and do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is required. Nothing you type is stored on our servers — the maths runs entirely in your browser.
How accurate is the result?
It applies the standard formula exactly, so the arithmetic is precise. Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Who is this tool for?
It's built for anyone comparing money scenarios before committing — budgeting a payment, sanity-checking a quote, or seeing what a change in rate or term actually costs.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Cost Per Hire Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-hire
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-hire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cost Per Hire Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Cost Per Hire Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/cost-per-hire) (2026).