{"product_id":"vacancy-cost-calculator","title":"Vacancy Cost Calculator","description":"\u003cp\u003eSee what open roles cost you in a year, and what you save by filling them faster or keeping people longer. Enter your headcount, turnover, and time to fill, and the workbook returns the annual vacancy cost, the average seats empty, and the saving from each lever.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOne Excel workbook that turns headcount, turnover, and time to fill into the yearly cost of open roles\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA working model, not a blank sheet. You enter your workforce and cost assumptions, the workbook returns the annual vacancy cost and what each lever saves, 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\u003eVacancy Cost Calculator.\u003c\/strong\u003e Enter your headcount, annual turnover rate, and average time to fill, then set the salary and benefits load for the roles that turn over and the cost-of-vacancy factor. The workbook returns the daily loaded pay, the cost of one open role across a full time to fill, the monthly run rate, the average seats empty at any moment, the annual vacancy cost, and the share of payroll it represents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTwo savings levers, a board-ready summary, sourced benchmarks, and the method in plain English.\u003c\/strong\u003e A Scenarios tab puts a number on filling faster and on lowering turnover, each alone and the two together. A one-page Summary carries the annual cost and the headline figures for a leadership conversation, a Benchmark tab holds turnover, time-to-fill, and cost-of-vacancy figures from SHRM, BLS, Mercer, and Gallup, and the Notes tab documents how each number is built.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThree steps from headcount and turnover to the cost of open roles\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou enter your workforce, read the annual cost, and test the two levers. The workbook does the rest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEnter your workforce and cost assumptions.\u003c\/strong\u003e Fill the amber cells: headcount, annual turnover rate, average time to fill, the average salary and benefits load for the roles that turn over, the cost-of-vacancy factor, and working days per year. The worked example runs 50 positions at 18 percent turnover and a 44-day time to fill, change it to your own numbers.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eRead the annual cost.\u003c\/strong\u003e The workbook spreads loaded pay over the working year, scales it by your factor across a full time to fill for the cost of one open role, and multiplies by the roles that open across the year for the annual vacancy cost, with the average seats empty and the share of payroll alongside.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTest the two levers.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Scenarios tab shows what you save by filling faster and by lowering turnover, each on its own and together. Use the saving to size a recruiting or retention investment: if a change costs less than it saves here, the numbers support it. The Summary rolls it up for a leadership conversation.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOpen roles get counted as a gap to fill, not as a cost that runs every day\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo habits get vacancy cost wrong. The first treats an open role as a temporary gap and a saved salary, missing the output and overtime it drains while it sits empty. The second prices a single open seat once and forgets that vacancies are recurring, so a share of the workforce is empty at any given moment all year. A model that runs the cost across the year, and lets you set how much of a seat the team loses, gives a figure a finance partner will accept.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOpen roles are a recurring cost, not a one-time event.\u003c\/strong\u003e At a given headcount, turnover, and time to fill, a share of the workforce is empty at any moment, about 1.5 seats in the worked example, and the yearly drag is the cost of one open seat across its time to fill multiplied by how many open across the year, $118,800 in the example, near 4 percent of payroll.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe cost-of-vacancy factor is the judgment call and it moves the result most.\u003c\/strong\u003e At 100 percent a seat costs its full daily loaded pay, about $300 a day in the worked example, which suits a typical salaried role. Raise it for revenue-generating or hard-to-cover roles where an empty seat costs more than the salary saved, and lower it for roles the team can absorb. Set it to the role, not the average.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe combined saving is larger than either lever alone but not the sum of the two.\u003c\/strong\u003e Filling faster cuts the cost per open seat; lowering turnover cuts how many open. Because the two overlap, hitting both targets at once saves more than either by itself, $60,300 in the worked example, but less than adding the two together, since the same empty-seat dollar cannot be saved twice.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWho this calculator 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 the case for a recruiting or retention investment who wants the yearly cost of open roles, not a saved-salary line.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA finance or operations partner who wants vacancies costed across the year, with the cost-of-vacancy factor set to the role and the saving from each lever sized.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAn owner or manager carrying open seats who wants to see what they drain and what filling faster or keeping people longer would save.\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\u003eThe full all-in cost of one person leaving and being replaced, recruiting, ramp, and lost productivity, not the value lost while the seat is empty. The Cost of Turnover Calculator covers that.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePricing each specific open role by its own days open and value, role by role, rather than a workforce-level annual figure. The Time-to-Fill Cost Calculator does that.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe recruiting spend to fill a role, the ads, agency fees, and staff time. The Cost Per Hire Calculator sizes it.\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. Change any assumption, adjust the cost-of-vacancy factor, add notes, and duplicate the file to rerun the numbers as your workforce changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow accurate is the result?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe structure is solid arithmetic: loaded pay spread over the working year, scaled across the time to fill, and multiplied by the roles that open. The figure rests most on the cost-of-vacancy factor, how much of an open seat’s value the team loses rather than absorbs, so set it to the role. Every figure foots to your inputs, and the Benchmark tab gives turnover, time-to-fill, and cost-of-vacancy ranges to sense-check the assumptions. The math is correct for the numbers you give it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow is this different from the free calculator?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe free calculator gives you a quick annual vacancy cost on screen. The workbook is for when you need to keep and work that number. You own the file in Excel and Google Sheets, so your numbers stay saved and every formula is open to edit and audit. It adds a Scenarios tab that puts a number on filling faster and on lowering turnover, each alone and together, a one-page summary built for a board or finance review, and a Benchmark tab with turnover, time-to-fill, and cost-of-vacancy figures cited to SHRM, BLS, Mercer, and Gallup. The free tool answers what open roles cost; the workbook is the model you use to size what fixing them is worth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow do I set the cost-of-vacancy factor?\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is the share of a seat’s daily loaded pay that the open role costs you. Start at 100 percent, which treats a seat as worth its full daily loaded pay and suits a typical salaried role. Raise it above 100 percent for revenue-generating or hard-to-cover roles, where an empty seat costs more than the salary saved, and lower it for roles the rest of the team can absorb for a while. The SHRM range of $4,000 to $9,000 a month for a typical open role is a useful check: the midpoint is roughly a typical role’s daily loaded pay across a month.\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, enter your workforce, and read the cost. 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. The result rests most on the cost-of-vacancy factor, how much of an open seat’s value the team loses rather than absorbs, so set it to your situation and treat the figure as a way to size the cost of open roles, not a precise ledger entry. Last reviewed June 2026.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"TrueStep HR","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52641502396692,"sku":"TSHR-006","price":24.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1013\/9048\/3732\/files\/TSHR-006__vacancy-cost-calculator-hero.jpg?v=1780979065","url":"https:\/\/shop.truestephr.com\/products\/vacancy-cost-calculator","provider":"TrueStep HR","version":"1.0","type":"link"}