People are the largest cost in most service and software businesses, and the one most often budgeted at base salary alone. These calculators price the real figure.
Which one you want
Employee Cost and Payroll Cost build the fully-loaded number: salary plus employer taxes, benefits, equipment, software and workspace, which together typically add 25–40% on top of base pay. Turnover Cost prices a departure — recruitment, notice period, onboarding and the months of reduced output before a replacement is productive. Employee Turnover tracks the rate itself, and Commission models variable compensation so a sales plan can be checked against margin before it is offered.
What the numbers mean
Replacing an employee commonly costs somewhere between six months and two years of their salary once lost productivity is included, and the figure rises with seniority and specialisation. That is the number worth holding next to any retention decision: a raise, a training budget or a flexible working arrangement that looks expensive in isolation is frequently far cheaper than the departure it prevents. On commission design, check the plan against contribution margin rather than revenue — a scheme that pays well on a discounted deal quietly rewards discounting.