Staff cost calculator
Add each staff member's weekly hours and hourly rate to see your total weekly and annual wage bill. Include a rough employer on-costs uplift, and enter expected revenue to see labour cost as a percentage — the number that decides whether a rota is affordable.
Example
Small café team
Total weekly hours
94
Weekly revenue
£4,000
Calculated result
Weekly cost
£1,196
Labour %
30%
Estimate only. On-costs and payroll rules are handled elsewhere.
Staff cost calculator
Weekly wage bill · annual cost · labour %
Weekly cost
£1,247.00
Annual (×52)
£64,844
Labour %
—
Total weekly hours: 94. Add expected revenue to see labour cost as a percentage.
Planning estimate only. Employer National Insurance, pension contributions and holiday pay vary by earnings and scheme, so the on-costs uplift is a rough guide. Use payroll for exact figures.
Manual cost planning
When labour cost only shows up too late
Labour is usually the biggest controllable cost in a small business, but the total only appears after payroll — too late to change the rota. A quick estimate before you publish shifts helps, but controlling cost week to week needs the rota and the numbers in one place.
The total lands after payroll
By the time the wage bill is clear, the rota it came from is already worked and paid.
The cost formula lives in a spreadsheet
A fragile SUM in one tab gets copied, broken and rebuilt every week.
Labour % is guessed, not measured
Without revenue alongside cost, 'are we overstaffed?' is answered on gut feel.
Different rates and hours add up fast
A few extra hours here and there quietly move the weekly total more than expected.
Quiet weeks still cost the same
Fixed shifts against variable trade are where margin silently disappears.
On-costs get forgotten
Employer NI, pension and holiday pay make the real cost higher than the hourly rate.
How it works
How to calculate staff costs and labour %
The maths is simple — the value is doing it before you publish the rota, not after payroll confirms it.
For each person, multiply weekly hours by hourly rate.
Add the rows together for the weekly wage bill.
Optionally add an on-costs uplift for employer NI, pension and holiday pay.
Multiply the weekly total by 52 for an annual figure.
Divide weekly cost by expected weekly revenue for labour cost %.
Compare against your target and adjust shifts before publishing.
Temporary fix
Why a calculator only gets you so far
A calculator is ideal for a one-off check — costing a new hire, a busy week, or a proposed rota change.
Week to week, the hard part is keeping cost tied to the actual shifts as they change, not re-typing numbers.
Weekola keeps hours, rates and the rota together, so the cost updates as you build the schedule.
Connected workflow
How Weekola keeps labour cost in view
Weekola connects the rota with hours and rates, so the wage-bill impact of shifts is visible while you plan — not a surprise after payroll.
Rota
Build shifts and see the wage bill they add up to before publishing.
Rates
Hourly rates sit behind each person so cost reflects reality.
Attendance
Actual worked hours show the gap between planned and real cost.
Timesheets
Reviewed hours give a clean figure to reconcile against the plan.
Coverage
Match staffing to demand instead of running fixed cost through quiet trade.
Records
A clear history sits behind every cost figure if you need to check it.
Related links
Keep going from the calculator
Common questions
Staff cost calculator FAQ
- How do I calculate staff costs?
- For each person, multiply their weekly hours by their hourly rate, then add the rows together for a weekly wage bill. Multiply by 52 for an annual figure. Add an on-costs uplift if you want to include employer National Insurance, pension and holiday pay.
- What is a good labour cost percentage?
- It depends on the sector. Many hospitality businesses aim to keep labour below around 30% of revenue, quick-service and retail often lower. Treat any benchmark as a guide — the right number depends on your margins and service model.
- How do I calculate labour cost as a percentage of sales?
- Divide the total staff cost for a period by the revenue for the same period, then multiply by 100. If a week's wage bill is £1,200 and revenue is £4,000, labour cost is 30%.
- What are employer on-costs?
- On-costs are the extra employment costs on top of gross pay — mainly employer National Insurance, pension contributions and holiday pay. They vary by earnings and scheme, so this calculator uses a single rough percentage uplift you can adjust.
- How much does an employee really cost?
- More than their hourly rate. Once you add employer NI, pension and holiday pay, the true cost is typically a fair bit higher than gross wages. Turn on the on-costs uplift for a rough all-in estimate, and use payroll for exact figures.
- Does this include tax and National Insurance exactly?
- No. It is a planning estimate. The optional on-costs uplift is a single percentage, not a precise NI or pension calculation. Use your payroll provider for exact employer costs.
- Can I use this to plan a rota budget?
- Yes — that is the main use. Estimate the wage bill for the shifts you are about to publish, check it against expected revenue, and adjust before the rota goes out rather than after payroll.
- Can Weekola show staff cost while I build the rota?
- Yes. Weekola connects the rota with hours and rates so you can see the cost impact of shifts as you plan, instead of discovering it after payroll.
Weekola
See labour cost before you publish the rota
Stop finding out the wage bill after payroll. Weekola shows the cost of a rota while you build it, so you can adjust before it costs you.