Free HR calculator
Dental Employee Cost Calculator
Calculate the annual and hourly cost of a hygienist, dental assistant, or front desk employee. Include pay, taxes, benefits, workers’ compensation, paid time off, and practice expenses.
Your estimate
Method note The fully loaded cost of an employee Note reviewed:
Pay and benefits Enter pay, scheduled hours, bonuses, and benefits. About three minutes.
Pay
This calculator is built on United States payroll rules, so amounts are in US dollars.
Benefits
Other benefits and practice costs
Time off and tax assumptions
One-time first-year costs (optional)
Total annual employee cost
Annual cost breakdown
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How the calculation works
What goes into employee cost
Wages are only part of what a position costs. Employer taxes, benefits, and practice expenses bring the total higher. A common planning range is 1.25 to 1.4 times pay.
Use your practice’s actual health insurance contribution. The starting figure comes from KFF’s 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, which reported average employer contributions of about $7,900 for single coverage, and about $17,200 for family coverage at employers with 10 to 199 workers.
Source reviewed 9 October 2026: KFF, 2025 Employer Health Benefits Survey, published 22 October 2025, kff.org.
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Pay and bonuses
Payroll tax calculations include annual salary or hourly wages, plus expected bonuses and commissions.
Employer payroll taxes
Employer Social Security and Medicare total 7.65%. FUTA and SUTA use their applicable wage bases. Payroll taxes also include expected bonuses and commissions.
Benefits
Enter what your practice pays toward health coverage, other insurance, and retirement benefits for this position. Use $0 where applicable.
Workers’ compensation and practice expenses
Add workers’ compensation, payroll administration, software, equipment, and other expenses associated with the role.
Annual and first-year costs
Annual cost includes recurring employment expenses. First-year cost also includes recruiting, onboarding, and initial setup.
Put your results to work
Keep your practice HR work organized
Bring your handbook, hiring, onboarding, chair coverage, and Practice HR Self Audit together in the Dental Practice HR System. It includes five toolkits and 32 files.
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Compare this estimate with your records to help plan your next step.