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Cost per hire calculator

Enter external and internal recruiting expenses for a period and the number of people hired over that same period. The calculator works out the cost of a single hire.

Job ads, staffing agency and job board fees, candidate assessments, referral bonuses
The share of the recruiter's and HR's pay for time spent on hiring, plus interviewers' time

Result

Cost per hire

Total recruiting cost

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This calculation is for informational purposes only and does not replace advice from a qualified professional. Formulas and rates may not fit your exact situation — double-check the figures before making decisions.

How it is calculated

Total recruiting cost = external costs + internal costs. Cost per hire = total cost ÷ hires over the same period — what closing one position costs the company on average, regardless of role.

Internal costs are often underestimated or skipped entirely, even though they're real: recruiter, HR and manager time spent on interviews and assessment is paid working time, and it converts to money through their hourly cost.

The metric averages roles of very different complexity — hiring a junior employee and a senior executive cost very differently, so for comparing periods or departments it's more useful to track cost per hire separately for groups of similarly complex roles rather than one company-wide number.

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