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Employee onboarding cost calculator

Enter training and materials cost, the cost of mentor and manager time, and an estimate of lost productivity while the new hire ramps up. The calculator works out total onboarding cost and cost per new hire.

Courses, account access, documentation, workstation setup
The cost of hours more experienced staff spend training the new hire instead of doing their own regular work
The gap between what the new hire is paid during the ramp-up period and the value they actually produce while getting up to speed

Result

Cost per new hire

Total onboarding 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 onboarding cost = training and materials + mentor and manager time + lost productivity. Cost per new hire = total cost ÷ number of new hires for the period.

Lost productivity is the least visible line item, but usually the largest one: a new hire earns a full salary from day one but ramps up to full output gradually, and the gap between what they're paid and what they actually manage to produce is real money for the company, even though it never shows up as its own budget line.

Skimping on onboarding almost always costs more later: an undertrained hire ramps up more slowly and is more likely to leave in the first months — which just kicks off a new cycle of recruiting cost (Cost per Hire) and turnover (Turnover Rate).

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