Australia Total Employee Cost Planner

Primary formula: Cw = Nₑ × E + Nc × Cc

By Duc Nguyen X.· Founder, Margin101Last reviewed: 31 July 2026View update historyMethodology

Educational only: Business decision support, not accounting, tax or legal advice.

Privacy: No account is required. Tool inputs and results stay in this browser. Anonymous categorical usage analytics send only governed page, tool, cluster and action identifiers; tool inputs and results are never sent. Error monitoring is disabled. Optional saved state stays only on this device.

Update policy: Reviewed when formulas or official dependencies change.

Scope: Australian small-business planning using your own assumptions.

What this planner helps you decide

Best for

Australian businesses planning a bounded loaded employee-cost and productive-capacity scenario.

Outputs

Loaded annual and productive-hour cost, workforce capacity and budget, demand gap and hire-or-overtime threshold.

Start here

Confirm the supported policy scope, then enter base compensation, all other applicable on-costs, productive time, headcount mix and demand.

Use a different tool when: Do not use this to plan loaded employee and contractor cost, selected workforce mix, demand capacity and the overtime-or-hire threshold; use Australia Employee vs Contractor Cost for that decision. Use this tool to plan Australia loaded employee cost, productive capacity, staffing budget and a hire-or-overtime threshold.

Profit & break-even

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Loaded annual and productive-hour cost, workforce capacity and budget, demand gap and hire-or-overtime threshold.

Australia employee-cost and capacity inputs

Confirm the supported policy fixture, then enter your own omitted on-costs, productive-time assumptions, workforce mix and demand.

Your numbers stay in this browser

Annual base salary

Salary or wages on the supported annual basis.

Other annual employee on-costs

Enter every applicable cost outside the source-versioned statutory row.

Ordinary hours per week

Your confirmed paid ordinary-hours assumption.

Employee headcount

Whole employees in this scenario.

Required productive hours

Annual delivery demand for the scenario.

Policy scope, contractor comparison and overtime-versus-hire assumptionsOpen the assumptions you are less likely to change on every comparison.

Annual qualifying ordinary-time earnings

Enter only earnings confirmed as qualifying ordinary-time earnings. Salary and non-qualifying earnings are not inferred.

Other annual cash remuneration

Bonuses and other cash pay outside base salary. Include every amount used in the statutory contribution basis.

Paid weeks per year

Paid weeks on the annual comparison basis.

Leave weeks per year

Paid leave excluded from productive delivery capacity.

Non-productive hours per working week

Administration, training and other paid non-delivery time.

Contractor hourly rate excluding tax

Quoted commercial rate before consumption tax.

Contractor hours per year

Annual hours bought for the comparison scenario.

Other annual contractor costs

Procurement, equipment, insurance and other costs paid by the business.

Contractor headcount

Whole contractors in this scenario.

Productive hours per contractor

Annual productive capacity per contractor.

Overtime cost multiplier

Multiplier applied to the employee productive-hour cost.

Fixed cost per additional hire

Recruitment, setup and other one-off costs applied to every whole hire required.

Worker age/status fixture

The automatic row is statutory minimum SG on entered qualifying earnings, capped at the 2026–27 maximum contribution base. Awards, agreements, eligibility exceptions, payroll tax and workers compensation remain outside scope.

Employment status fixture

Confirm the employee fits the supported adult full-time award-free national-system employee fixture; this tool does not classify worker status.

Jurisdiction and industry scope

Decision boundary

Commercial planning only; no classification or compliance determination.

Policy effective period

Choose the source-versioned period that applies to the contribution calculation.

Bounded policy fixture

Adult full-time award-free national-system employee

Preparing export actions…

Total workforce cost: $375,000.00
Total productive hours: 4,472 hours
Workforce cost per productive hour: $83.86
Capacity gap: 528 hours
Overtime cost for gap: $61,875.00
Whole hires required for gap: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gap: $128,000.00
Employee annual cost: $120,000.00
Super guarantee: $12,000.00
Employee cost per productive hour: $78.13
Contractor annual cost: $135,000.00
Overtime-to-hire crossover: 1,093 hours

Lower entered gap option: overtime. The automatic row is statutory minimum SG on entered qualifying earnings, capped at the 2026–27 maximum contribution base. Awards, agreements, eligibility exceptions, payroll tax and workers compensation remain outside scope.

Demand sensitivity — overtime cost

Demand sensitivity — compare overtime cost for the entered productive-hours requirement and 10% more demand. Capacity gap and hire cost remain visible in the result cards.

ScenarioResultDifference

Entered workforce plan$61,875.00Baseline

Required productive hours +10%$120,468.75$58,593.75

Save these results, change an input, then compare the updated figures with this baseline.

The baseline is temporary in this tab and is not added to shared scenario links or generated reports.

Workforce-mix comparison — total workforce cost

Compare total workforce cost for the entered headcount and one additional employee. Productive hours and cost per productive hour remain visible in the result cards.

ScenarioResultDifference

Entered workforce plan$375,000.00Baseline

Add one employee$495,000.00$120,000.00

Save these results, change an input, then compare the updated figures with this baseline.

The baseline is temporary in this tab and is not added to shared scenario links or generated reports.

Calculation details

View calculation detailsView the formulas and inputs used for these results.

Total workforce cost

Total workforce costemployee headcount × loaded employee cost + contractor headcount × loaded contractor cost375,000 AUD

Result$375,000.00

Super guarantee uses ato-super-guarantee-rate-au@2026-07-13;fair-work-annual-leave-au@2026-07-13;fair-work-ordinary-hours-au@2026-07-13; every omitted on-cost remains user-entered. The engine retains raw precision; display rounding never feeds another calculation.

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Total workforce costAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Total workforce costAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Total workforce costAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Total workforce costAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Total workforce costOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Total workforce costPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Total workforce costLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Total workforce costNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Total workforce costContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Total workforce costContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Total workforce costAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Total workforce costEmployee Headcount: 2
Total workforce costContractor Headcount: 1
Total workforce costContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Total workforce costRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Total workforce costOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Total workforce costHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Total workforce costWorker Age Class Code: 1
Total workforce costEmployment Status Code: 1
Total workforce costIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Total workforce costComparison Scope Code: 1
Total workforce costEffective Period Code: 1

Total productive hours

Total productive hoursderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine4,472 hours

Result4,472 hours

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Total productive hoursAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Total productive hoursAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Total productive hoursAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Total productive hoursAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Total productive hoursOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Total productive hoursPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Total productive hoursLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Total productive hoursNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Total productive hoursContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Total productive hoursContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Total productive hoursAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Total productive hoursEmployee Headcount: 2
Total productive hoursContractor Headcount: 1
Total productive hoursContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Total productive hoursRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Total productive hoursOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Total productive hoursHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Total productive hoursWorker Age Class Code: 1
Total productive hoursEmployment Status Code: 1
Total productive hoursIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Total productive hoursComparison Scope Code: 1
Total productive hoursEffective Period Code: 1

Workforce cost per productive hour

Workforce cost per productive hourderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine83.86 AUD

Result$83.86

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Workforce cost per productive hourAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Workforce cost per productive hourAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Workforce cost per productive hourAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Workforce cost per productive hourAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Workforce cost per productive hourOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Workforce cost per productive hourPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Workforce cost per productive hourLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Workforce cost per productive hourNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Workforce cost per productive hourContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Workforce cost per productive hourContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Workforce cost per productive hourAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Workforce cost per productive hourEmployee Headcount: 2
Workforce cost per productive hourContractor Headcount: 1
Workforce cost per productive hourContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Workforce cost per productive hourRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Workforce cost per productive hourOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Workforce cost per productive hourHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Workforce cost per productive hourWorker Age Class Code: 1
Workforce cost per productive hourEmployment Status Code: 1
Workforce cost per productive hourIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Workforce cost per productive hourComparison Scope Code: 1
Workforce cost per productive hourEffective Period Code: 1

Capacity gap

Capacity gapmax(0, required productive hours − available productive hours)528 hours

Result528 hours

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Capacity gapAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Capacity gapAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Capacity gapAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Capacity gapAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Capacity gapOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Capacity gapPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Capacity gapLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Capacity gapNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Capacity gapContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Capacity gapContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Capacity gapAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Capacity gapEmployee Headcount: 2
Capacity gapContractor Headcount: 1
Capacity gapContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Capacity gapRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Capacity gapOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Capacity gapHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Capacity gapWorker Age Class Code: 1
Capacity gapEmployment Status Code: 1
Capacity gapIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Capacity gapComparison Scope Code: 1
Capacity gapEffective Period Code: 1

Overtime cost for gap

Overtime cost for gapderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine61,875 AUD

Result$61,875.00

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Overtime cost for gapAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Overtime cost for gapAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Overtime cost for gapAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Overtime cost for gapAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Overtime cost for gapOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Overtime cost for gapPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Overtime cost for gapLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Overtime cost for gapNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Overtime cost for gapContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Overtime cost for gapContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Overtime cost for gapAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Overtime cost for gapEmployee Headcount: 2
Overtime cost for gapContractor Headcount: 1
Overtime cost for gapContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Overtime cost for gapRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Overtime cost for gapOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Overtime cost for gapHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Overtime cost for gapWorker Age Class Code: 1
Overtime cost for gapEmployment Status Code: 1
Overtime cost for gapIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Overtime cost for gapComparison Scope Code: 1
Overtime cost for gapEffective Period Code: 1

Whole hires required for gap

Whole hires required for gapceil(capacity gap ÷ one employee productive hours)1 people

Result1

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Whole hires required for gapAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Whole hires required for gapAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Whole hires required for gapAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Whole hires required for gapAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Whole hires required for gapOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Whole hires required for gapPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Whole hires required for gapLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Whole hires required for gapNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Whole hires required for gapContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Whole hires required for gapContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Whole hires required for gapAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Whole hires required for gapEmployee Headcount: 2
Whole hires required for gapContractor Headcount: 1
Whole hires required for gapContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Whole hires required for gapRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Whole hires required for gapOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Whole hires required for gapHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Whole hires required for gapWorker Age Class Code: 1
Whole hires required for gapEmployment Status Code: 1
Whole hires required for gapIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Whole hires required for gapComparison Scope Code: 1
Whole hires required for gapEffective Period Code: 1

Whole-hire cash cost for gap

Whole-hire cash cost for gapwhole hires required × (fixed cost per hire + loaded annual employee cost)128,000 AUD

Result$128,000.00

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Whole-hire cash cost for gapAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Whole-hire cash cost for gapAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Whole-hire cash cost for gapPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Whole-hire cash cost for gapLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Whole-hire cash cost for gapNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Whole-hire cash cost for gapContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Whole-hire cash cost for gapContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Whole-hire cash cost for gapAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapEmployee Headcount: 2
Whole-hire cash cost for gapContractor Headcount: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gapContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Whole-hire cash cost for gapRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Whole-hire cash cost for gapHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Whole-hire cash cost for gapWorker Age Class Code: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gapEmployment Status Code: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gapIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gapComparison Scope Code: 1
Whole-hire cash cost for gapEffective Period Code: 1

Employee annual cost

Employee annual costderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine120,000 AUD

Result$120,000.00

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Employee annual costAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Employee annual costAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Employee annual costAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Employee annual costAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Employee annual costOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Employee annual costPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Employee annual costLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Employee annual costNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Employee annual costContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Employee annual costContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Employee annual costAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Employee annual costEmployee Headcount: 2
Employee annual costContractor Headcount: 1
Employee annual costContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Employee annual costRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Employee annual costOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Employee annual costHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Employee annual costWorker Age Class Code: 1
Employee annual costEmployment Status Code: 1
Employee annual costIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Employee annual costComparison Scope Code: 1
Employee annual costEffective Period Code: 1

Super guarantee

Super guaranteesum(max(0, min(Q, component ceiling) − component floor) × component rate)12,000 AUD

Result$12,000.00

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Super guaranteeAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Super guaranteeAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Super guaranteeAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Super guaranteeAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Super guaranteeOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Super guaranteePaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Super guaranteeLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Super guaranteeNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Super guaranteeContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Super guaranteeContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Super guaranteeAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Super guaranteeEmployee Headcount: 2
Super guaranteeContractor Headcount: 1
Super guaranteeContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Super guaranteeRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Super guaranteeOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Super guaranteeHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Super guaranteeWorker Age Class Code: 1
Super guaranteeEmployment Status Code: 1
Super guaranteeIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Super guaranteeComparison Scope Code: 1
Super guaranteeEffective Period Code: 1

Employee cost per productive hour

Employee cost per productive hourderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine78.13 AUD

Result$78.13

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Employee cost per productive hourAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Employee cost per productive hourAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Employee cost per productive hourAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Employee cost per productive hourAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Employee cost per productive hourOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Employee cost per productive hourPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Employee cost per productive hourLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Employee cost per productive hourNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Employee cost per productive hourContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Employee cost per productive hourContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Employee cost per productive hourAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Employee cost per productive hourEmployee Headcount: 2
Employee cost per productive hourContractor Headcount: 1
Employee cost per productive hourContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Employee cost per productive hourRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Employee cost per productive hourOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Employee cost per productive hourHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Employee cost per productive hourWorker Age Class Code: 1
Employee cost per productive hourEmployment Status Code: 1
Employee cost per productive hourIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Employee cost per productive hourComparison Scope Code: 1
Employee cost per productive hourEffective Period Code: 1

Contractor annual cost

Contractor annual costderived from the exact loaded-labour, capacity and overtime-versus-hire engine135,000 AUD

Result$135,000.00

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Contractor annual costAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Contractor annual costAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Contractor annual costAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Contractor annual costAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Contractor annual costOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Contractor annual costPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Contractor annual costLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Contractor annual costNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Contractor annual costContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Contractor annual costContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Contractor annual costAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Contractor annual costEmployee Headcount: 2
Contractor annual costContractor Headcount: 1
Contractor annual costContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Contractor annual costRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Contractor annual costOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Contractor annual costHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Contractor annual costWorker Age Class Code: 1
Contractor annual costEmployment Status Code: 1
Contractor annual costIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Contractor annual costComparison Scope Code: 1
Contractor annual costEffective Period Code: 1

Overtime-to-hire crossover

ceil((fixed cost per hire + loaded annual employee cost) ÷ overtime hourly cost), only when reachable within one employee productive capacity

1,093 hours

Result1,093 hours

Australia Total Employee Cost Planner formulas →

Inputs used by these formula steps

Overtime-to-hire crossoverAnnual Base Salary: 100,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverAnnual Contribution Earnings: 100,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverAnnual Other Cash Remuneration: 0
Overtime-to-hire crossoverAnnual Employee On Costs: 8,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverOrdinary Weekly Hours: 38
Overtime-to-hire crossoverPaid Weeks Per Year: 52
Overtime-to-hire crossoverLeave Weeks Per Year: 4
Overtime-to-hire crossoverNon Productive Hours Per Working Week: 6
Overtime-to-hire crossoverContractor Hourly Rate Ex Tax: 95
Overtime-to-hire crossoverContractor Hours Per Year: 1,400
Overtime-to-hire crossoverAnnual Contractor Additional Costs: 2,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverEmployee Headcount: 2
Overtime-to-hire crossoverContractor Headcount: 1
Overtime-to-hire crossoverContractor Productive Hours Per Person: 1,400
Overtime-to-hire crossoverRequired Productive Hours: 5,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverOvertime Multiplier: 1.5
Overtime-to-hire crossoverHire Fixed Cost: 8,000
Overtime-to-hire crossoverWorker Age Class Code: 1
Overtime-to-hire crossoverEmployment Status Code: 1
Overtime-to-hire crossoverIndustrial Scope Code: 1
Overtime-to-hire crossoverComparison Scope Code: 1
Overtime-to-hire crossoverEffective Period Code: 1

Inputs used

Annual base salary: 100,000
Annual qualifying ordinary-time earnings: 100,000
Other annual cash remuneration: 0
Other annual employee on-costs: 8,000
Ordinary hours per week: 38
Paid weeks per year: 52
Leave weeks per year: 4
Non-productive hours per working week: 6
Contractor hourly rate excluding tax: 95
Contractor hours per year: 1,400
Other annual contractor costs: 2,000
Employee headcount: 2
Contractor headcount: 1
Productive hours per contractor: 1,400
Required productive hours: 5,000
Overtime cost multiplier: 1.5
Fixed cost per additional hire: 8,000
Worker age/status fixture: 1
Employment status fixture: 1
Jurisdiction and industry scope: 1
Decision boundary: 1
Policy effective period: 1

Open this calculator with preset values

This calculator supports documented, shareable scenario URLs. Compatible assistants and applications can construct links using the parameters below.

Scenario links contain only allowlisted numeric and closed-choice inputs shown in the URL; Margin101 excludes free text and identifying fields. Anyone you share the URL with can read those numbers, so do not include private or identifying data.

Example: https://margin101.com/en-au/tools/au-total-employee-cost/?sv=2&annualBaseSalary=100000&annualContractorAdditionalCosts=2000&annualContributionEarnings=100000&annualEmployeeOnCosts=8000&annualOtherCashRemuneration=0&comparisonScopeCode=1&contractorHeadcount=1&contractorHourlyRateExTax=95&contractorHoursPerYear=1400&contractorProductiveHoursPerPerson=1400&effectivePeriodCode=1&employeeHeadcount=2&employmentStatusCode=1&hireFixedCost=8000&industrialScopeCode=1&leaveWeeksPerYear=4&nonProductiveHoursPerWorkingWeek=6&ordinaryWeeklyHours=38&overtimeMultiplier=1.5&paidWeeksPerYear=52&requiredProductiveHours=5000&workerAgeClassCode=1

Parameter	Meaning	Unit	Allowed values	Presence	Default
annualBaseSalary	Salary or wages on the supported annual basis.	AUD/employee/year	0 to 20000000	Required	100000
annualContractorAdditionalCosts	Procurement, equipment, insurance and other costs paid by the business.	AUD/contractor/year	0 to 20000000	Required	2000
annualContributionEarnings	Enter only earnings confirmed as qualifying ordinary-time earnings. Salary and non-qualifying earnings are not inferred.	AUD/employee/year	0 to 20000000	Required	100000
annualEmployeeOnCosts	Enter every applicable cost outside the source-versioned statutory row.	AUD/employee/year	0 to 20000000	Required	8000
annualOtherCashRemuneration	Bonuses and other cash pay outside base salary. Include every amount used in the statutory contribution basis.	AUD/employee/year	0 to 20000000	Required	0
comparisonScopeCode	Commercial planning only; no classification or compliance determination.	—	1 (Commercial cost and capacity planning only), 0 (I need a legal or worker-status determination — unsupported)	Required	Commercial cost and capacity planning only
contractorHeadcount	Whole contractors in this scenario.	whole contractors/selected workforce scenario	0 to 10000	Required	1
contractorHourlyRateExTax	Quoted commercial rate before consumption tax.	AUD/contractor hour, ex consumption tax	0 to 100000	Required	95
contractorHoursPerYear	Annual hours bought for the comparison scenario.	purchased hours/contractor/year	1 to 10000	Required	1400
contractorProductiveHoursPerPerson	Annual productive capacity per contractor.	productive hours/contractor/year	0 to 10000	Required	1400
effectivePeriodCode	Choose the source-versioned period that applies to the contribution calculation.	—	1 (2026–27 — from 1 July 2026), 0 (Before 1 July 2026 — unsupported)	Required	2026–27 — from 1 July 2026
employeeHeadcount	Whole employees in this scenario.	whole employees/selected workforce scenario	0 to 10000	Required	2
employmentStatusCode	Confirm the employee fits the supported adult full-time award-free national-system employee fixture; this tool does not classify worker status.	—	1 (Confirmed supported employee status), 0 (Another or uncertain status — unsupported)	Required	Confirmed supported employee status
hireFixedCost	Recruitment, setup and other one-off costs applied to every whole hire required.	AUD/additional hire	0 to 20000000	Required	8000
industrialScopeCode	The automatic row is statutory minimum SG on entered qualifying earnings, capped at the 2026–27 maximum contribution base. Awards, agreements, eligibility exceptions, payroll tax and workers compensation remain outside scope.	—	1 (Confirmed supported policy scope), 0 (Another or uncertain scope — unsupported)	Required	Confirmed supported policy scope
leaveWeeksPerYear	Paid leave excluded from productive delivery capacity.	paid leave weeks/employee/year	0 to 52	Required	4
nonProductiveHoursPerWorkingWeek	Administration, training and other paid non-delivery time.	non-productive paid hours/employee/working week	0 to 79	Required	6
ordinaryWeeklyHours	Your confirmed paid ordinary-hours assumption.	paid ordinary hours/employee/week	1 to 80	Required	38
overtimeMultiplier	Multiplier applied to the employee productive-hour cost.	decimal cost multiplier on employee cost/productive hour	1 to 10	Required	1.5
paidWeeksPerYear	Paid weeks on the annual comparison basis.	paid weeks/employee/year	1 to 53	Required	52
requiredProductiveHours	Annual delivery demand for the scenario.	required productive hours/year	0 to 100000000	Required	5000
workerAgeClassCode	The automatic row is statutory minimum SG on entered qualifying earnings, capped at the 2026–27 maximum contribution base. Awards, agreements, eligibility exceptions, payroll tax and workers compensation remain outside scope.	—	1 (Adult full-time award-free national-system employee), 0 (Another or uncertain age/status — unsupported)	Required	Adult full-time award-free national-system employee

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Use the Australian result as a bounded commercial workforce plan, not a worker-classification, payroll or employment-law determination.

Formula summary

Primary formula: Cw = Nₑ × E + Nc × Cc

Read the full methodology

Data used here

Australian super guarantee planning rate: Australian Taxation Office; verified; checked 2026-07-13.
Annual leave planning weeks: Fair Work Ombudsman; verified; checked 2026-07-13.
Award-free ordinary weekly hours: Fair Work Ombudsman; verified; checked 2026-07-13.

Decision checks

Act on the result

Reconcile the statutory fixture and every user-entered on-cost with payroll or an adviser before approving headcount or overtime.

Stress-test the decision

Retest demand, productive hours, headcount mix and overtime cost separately, including an adverse capacity case.

Assumptions and sources

Australian super guarantee planning rate: Australian Taxation Office super guarantee rate Checked 2026-07-13.
Primary source →
Annual leave planning weeks: Fair Work Ombudsman annual leave guidance Checked 2026-07-13.
Primary source →
Award-free ordinary weekly hours: Fair Work Ombudsman award-free conditions guidance Checked 2026-07-13.
Primary source →

When this estimate can be misleading

The automatic row is statutory minimum SG on entered qualifying earnings, capped at the 2026–27 maximum contribution base. Awards, agreements, eligibility exceptions, payroll tax and workers compensation remain outside scope.
The supported official contribution row is not a complete payroll calculation. Enter every omitted employer cost separately.
Productive hours, contractor costs, demand, overtime and hiring costs are user-owned planning assumptions.
The tool does not classify a worker, determine employment obligations or replace payroll, tax, employment or legal advice.
Unsupported age, status, jurisdiction, industry or earnings scope stops instead of applying a guessed rate.
Use the Australian result as a bounded commercial workforce plan, not a worker-classification, payroll or employment-law determination.

Educational estimate, not advice. See all assumptions & limitations →

Guides to interpret the decision and its assumptions.

Total Employee Cost in Australia: Cost per Productive Hour
Reconcile annual pay, applicable employer costs and productive capacity using bounded Australian planning starts without treating the result as payroll or legal advice.
Read guide

Frequently asked questions

How do I plan Australia loaded employee cost, productive capacity, staffing budget and a hire-or-overtime threshold?

Reconcile the statutory fixture and every user-entered on-cost with payroll or an adviser before approving headcount or overtime.

Is this a complete payroll calculation?

No. Only the displayed source-versioned employer contribution components are automatic. Add every other applicable on-cost using your own records.

Does the result decide employee or contractor status?

No. It compares entered commercial cost and capacity only and refuses classification requests.

What happens outside the supported policy fixture?

The calculation fails closed. Select a supported fixture or use the relevant authority and a qualified adviser.

Does Margin101 store employee or payroll data?

Tool inputs and results stay in this browser. Anonymous categorical usage analytics send only governed page, tool, cluster and action identifiers; tool inputs and results are never sent. Error monitoring is disabled. Optional saved state stays only on this device.

Which planning assumptions should I stress-test?

Compare a plausible alternative scenario and verify the decision-critical assumption that changes the plan most.

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Australia tools

Decision paths

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Decision paths

What this planner helps you decide

Best for

Outputs

Start here

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Australia employee-cost and capacity inputs

Demand sensitivity — overtime cost

Workforce-mix comparison — total workforce cost

Calculation details

Total workforce cost

Total productive hours

Workforce cost per productive hour

Capacity gap

Overtime cost for gap

Whole hires required for gap

Whole-hire cash cost for gap

Employee annual cost

Super guarantee

Employee cost per productive hour

Contractor annual cost

Overtime-to-hire crossover

Inputs used

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Formula summary

Decision checks

Act on the result

Stress-test the decision

Assumptions and sources

When this estimate can be misleading

Frequently asked questions

What this planner helps you decide

Best for

Outputs

Start here

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Australia employee-cost and capacity inputs

Demand sensitivity — overtime cost

Workforce-mix comparison — total workforce cost

Calculation details

Total workforce cost

Total productive hours

Workforce cost per productive hour

Capacity gap

Overtime cost for gap

Whole hires required for gap

Whole-hire cash cost for gap

Employee annual cost

Super guarantee

Employee cost per productive hour

Contractor annual cost

Overtime-to-hire crossover

Inputs used

Australia Total Employee Cost: loaded annual and productive-hour cost

Formula summary

Decision checks

Act on the result

Stress-test the decision

Assumptions and sources

When this estimate can be misleading

Related reading

Frequently asked questions