Free HR calculator
Time-to-Fill Cost Calculator
Estimate what it costs to leave a role open. This uses the recognized cost-of-vacancy method. The daily value of the role times the days it takes to fill, net of the salary you save while the seat is empty. Treat the result as a defensible baseline, not a precise figure.
Before you start
What you will need. Role annual salary, Time to fill, Annual company revenue, Number of employees
The open role
How you value the role
Advanced options
Assumptions
What the open role costs
How the cost adds up
The method
What time to fill costs and how this is calculated
Time to fill is the number of days from when a role opens to when a candidate accepts the offer. The clock usually starts at the first posting or the approved requisition. It is broader than time to hire, which starts the clock when a candidate enters the pipeline. The 2025 SHRM Recruiting Benchmarking Report puts the average time to fill in the United States at about 44 days. A healthy target is under 30 days for generalist roles, and under 60 for specialist or leadership roles. The longer a role sits open, the more it costs.
How this is calculated
The cost-of-vacancy method
Cost of vacancy is the daily value of the role multiplied by the days it stays open. Subtract the pay and benefits you are not paying while the seat is empty. This tool offers two ways to set the daily value. The revenue basis divides annual revenue by headcount and then by working days for an average daily value per employee. A role impact multiplier then adjusts it. The salary basis sets the daily value as a multiple of the role’s own pay. Both are recognized approaches. Use whichever fits your business.
Choosing the multiplier
The multiplier is where judgment enters. SHRM and Gallup research is a starting point. It commonly places the full cost of a vacancy at roughly half to two times the role’s annual salary. Revenue-generating roles such as sales run higher, three to five times. Support roles sit at the low end, senior and revenue roles at the high end. Set the multiplier to reflect how much this specific role drives, then revisit it as you learn more.
Why this is a baseline
The figure here is deliberately conservative because it counts only output value against pay saved. It does not put a number on delayed projects, the strain on the team covering the work, lost momentum, or customer impact. All of those grow the longer a role is open. Read the result as the minimum a vacancy is costing you, and a reason to keep time to fill short.
Carry this into the decision
Price every open role at once
The in-depth Excel version totals the cost of all your open roles on one dashboard and shows what cutting your time to fill would save.
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Related
More free tools and the notes behind them
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
Put your own numbers in and read the result on screen.
This tool estimates from the figures you enter. It is general information rather than legal, tax, or accounting advice, so check the result against your own records before you rely on it.