TenorOpsHR & Team Cost Calculators · Recruiting Calculator
Free Cost Per Hire Calculator | Internal & External Hiring Costs
Calculate your true cost per hire by combining internal HR and manager interviewing costs with external job boards, ATS, and background check fees.
General & Internal Costs
Recruitment Inputs
External Hiring Costs
Your Results
Cost Per Hire Breakdown
Step-by-step guide
How to Use the Cost of Hiring an Employee Calculator
- 1Enter total hires and interviewing time
Provide the total number of hires made during the period and average hours spent per hire.
- 2Add internal hiring costs
Enter HR recruiting salaries, employee referral bonuses, signing bonuses, and manager interview time cost.
- 3Include external hiring expenses
Add job board ad spend, recruiter/agency fees, background checks, drug testing, and job fair expenses.
- 4Review Cost Per Hire breakdown
See your Internal Cost per Hire, External Cost per Hire, and Total Cost per Hire.
Formula & methodology
SHRM Standard Cost Per Hire Formula
The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) defines Cost Per Hire as:
Cost per Hire = (Total Internal Hiring Costs + Total External Hiring Costs) ÷ Total Number of Hires
Example: Hiring 10 employees with $30,000 in internal HR/interview costs and $13,000 in job boards and screening costs equals $43,000 ÷ 10 = $4,300 per hire.
Common questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost per hire?
Across U.S. industries, the average cost per hire is roughly $4,100 to $4,700 for salaried roles and $1,500 to $2,500 for hourly frontline and hospitality roles.
What counts as an internal hiring cost?
Internal costs include recruiter salaries, manager hours spent screening resumes and conducting interviews, employee referral bonuses, and signing bonuses.
How do I separate hiring costs from onboarding costs?
Cost per hire ends when the offer is accepted and background checks clear; training, uniforms, and ramp-up time after Day 1 belong in our Onboarding Cost Calculator.
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