{"product_id":"fte-headcount-planner","title":"FTE Headcount Planner","description":"\u003cp\u003eTurn each team’s workload into the headcount you need. Enter annual volume and current staff, and the workbook returns required FTE on real productive hours, the staffing gap, and a hiring plan and budget that separate the gap from attrition.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOne Excel workbook that turns workload into a headcount plan and a budget\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA working model, not a blank grid. You set the working-time assumptions once and list your teams, the workbook returns the FTE each one needs and the hires to get there, and it opens on a worked example so the logic is clear before you change anything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFTE Headcount Planner.\u003c\/strong\u003e Set working-time once, hours per week, working weeks, holidays, PTO, sick days, hours per day, and on-task utilization, then list each team with its annual volume, the hours one unit takes, and current staff. The workbook builds productive hours per FTE, then returns required FTE, the staffing gap, and the hires needed, team by team with a running total.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA board-ready summary, sourced benchmarks, and the method in plain English.\u003c\/strong\u003e A one-page Summary rounds the requirement to whole people, splits the open staffing gap from attrition replacement, and prices the plan at current and full staffing. A Benchmark tab holds working-time and turnover figures from BLS and the IRS, and the Notes tab documents how each number is built.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThree steps from workload to a headcount plan you can defend\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou set the working-time assumptions, list the teams, and the workbook returns the FTE the work requires, the gap against current staff, and the hires to close it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSet the working-time assumptions.\u003c\/strong\u003e Fill the amber cells for hours per week, working weeks, holidays, PTO, sick days, hours per day, and on-task utilization. These build productive hours per FTE, the hours a head delivers after time off and the share of the day spent on core work, about 1,627 in the worked example. Set attrition and any demand growth here too.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eList your teams.\u003c\/strong\u003e Enter each team with its annual volume, the hours one unit of that work takes, and current staff. Annual demand and required FTE calculate on the right, and a row with a blank team is ignored, so you can model three teams or a dozen.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRead the plan and the budget.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Summary rounds the requirement to whole people, separates the open staffing gap from the hiring that attrition drives, and prices the plan. Set a fully loaded cost per FTE to see the cost at current staffing, at full staffing, and the added budget to staff fully.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePaid hours are not capacity and the gap is not the whole hire\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo shortcuts get headcount wrong. The first plans on the 2,080-hour paid year, as if a head delivered every paid hour. The second sizes the gap between need and headcount and stops there. Real capacity is the productive hours left after time off and meetings, and the real hire adds the seats attrition keeps emptying.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProductive hours are the divisor.\u003c\/strong\u003e Gross paid hours, 2,080 at 40 by 52, minus holidays, PTO, and sick time give available hours; on-task utilization then takes out the share of the day spent in meetings, training, and admin. What is left, well short of the paid total, is what one head delivers against the work.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe gap and the replacement are two different hires.\u003c\/strong\u003e The staffing gap is the FTE a workload needs against who you have today. Attrition replacement is the hiring turnover forces regardless of the gap. A team that is short and also losing people has to do both, so total hires run above the net gap.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTeams, not one blended ratio.\u003c\/strong\u003e A single company-wide ratio hides which teams are short and which are carrying slack. Sizing each team on its own demand and current staff shows where to add people first and where a gap closes on its own.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho this planner fits and where to go if that is not you\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBuilt for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn HR or talent leader building a headcount plan for the year who needs to show the work behind each number before taking it to finance.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA finance or operations partner pressure-testing a hiring request, who wants required FTE tied to workload and a budget at current versus full staffing.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn owner or department head who senses a team is stretched and wants a defensible headcount figure rather than a running argument about being short.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIf you are looking for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStaffing a daily or shift schedule, where coverage needs a relief factor for breaks, time off, and absence. The Shift Staffing Planner sizes that.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeciding whether to cover one known gap with overtime or a new hire. The Overtime vs New Hire Planner runs that trade-off.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBefore you buy\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat format is it and can I edit it?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is one Excel workbook that also works in Google Sheets. Every input and formula is editable, and the file is yours to keep. Add teams by inserting rows inside the table, and duplicate the file to plan a division on its own or to rerun the numbers later in the year.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThere is a free version of this. Why pay for this one?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe free tool sizes one team in the browser and resets when you close the tab. This workbook plans every team in one place, not one at a time, and it adds the budget the free tool stops short of: a fully loaded cost per FTE turned into the cost at current staffing, the cost at full staffing, and the added spend to staff the work fully. It is also a file you keep, with open formulas, so you can set the assumptions to your own operation, rerun it as demand moves, and hand the one-page Summary to leadership.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow accurate is the result?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a planning estimate, and the working-time assumptions drive it. Productive hours per FTE depend on the time off and on-task utilization you enter, and required FTE follows from the workload you list. Set the assumptions to your operation, keep the annual volumes honest, and treat the output as a directional figure for sizing headcount. The math is correct for the inputs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I estimate annual volume and hours per unit?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eUse whatever unit a team measures its work in: tickets, orders, cases, accounts, or hours of demand. Annual volume is how many units the team handles in a year, and hours per unit is the average time one takes, which a sample of recent work or a team lead can give you. If a team has no countable unit, enter its demand directly in hours and set hours per unit to one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat is the refund policy?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDigital products are covered by a 14-day money-back guarantee. See the refund policy for the full terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhat happens after I buy?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCheckout delivers an instant download link, and a receipt with the same link arrives by email. Open the workbook in Excel or Google Sheets, set the working-time assumptions, and list your teams. If a file gives you trouble, email support@truestephr.com.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlanning estimates and general business information, not legal or tax advice. It sizes the headcount a workload requires; the ACA full-time and large-employer counts are a separate compliance test, and the result is a directional figure for planning, never a determination of any individual’s status. Last reviewed June 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TrueStep HR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52641502494996,"sku":"TSHR-009","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1013\/9048\/3732\/files\/TSHR-009__fte-headcount-planner-hero.jpg?v=1780978980","url":"https:\/\/shop.truestephr.com\/products\/fte-headcount-planner","provider":"TrueStep HR","version":"1.0","type":"link"}