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FTE Headcount Planner

Turn each team’s workload into the headcount you need. Enter annual volume and current staff.

FormatCalculator
Contents4 PDF guides, 1 Excel workbook
UseDownload and keep

$29

  • Editable operating files, not a subscription
  • Immediate access through the secure TrueStep HR store
  • Built and reviewed under the published TrueStep HR standard

Digital products carry a 30-day money-back guarantee. General HR information, not legal advice.

Need it working, not sitting in Downloads?

Add a one-hour setup session · $149

Bring the purchased tool and your live situation. A TrueStep HR practitioner helps you set the inputs, make the first decisions, and leave with a usable next step.

See the Setup Session →

What this closes

A practical system that moves the decision into real work.

Enter the annual workload first, in hours. The planner converts it into the full-time equivalents the work needs, before anyone argues about headcount.

DecisionControl labor cost
IndustryCross-industry
Files4 PDF guides, 1 Excel workbook
ReviewBuilt to the published release checks; sources and change notes sit beside the catalog.

What is inside

Every file in the download, by name.

Taken from the kit’s own Start Here guide, so what you see here is what you open after checkout.

Excel · useFTE and Headcount Planner: 5 tabs: Start Here, FTE Planner, Benchmark, Summary, and Notes.
PDF · printQuick Reference: the whole workbook on one page: what each tab is for, what you enter, and how to read the result.
PDF · readUsing This Workbook in Google Sheets: how to upload the file to Google Sheets and exactly what to check afterward.
PDF · keepTrueStep HR Product License: what you may and may not do with the files you purchased.

How to use it

What this workbook does

This workbook turns your annual workload into the headcount it takes to deliver it. It works out how many productive hours one full-time equivalent really delivers in a year, after holidays, PTO, sick time, and the share of the day spent on core work, then divides your demand across teams by that figure. It compares the result to the people you have today, shows the staffing gap, and layers in attrition so the hiring number is realistic. The Summary turns the plan into a budget and a board-ready

Your first 15 minutesOpen the FTE and Headcount Planner workbook in Microsoft Excel or a free equivalent such as LibreOffice. The first tab, Start Here, walks you through every tab. On the FTE Planner tab, set the working-time assumptions once: hours per week, holidays, PTO, sick days, on-task utilization, attrition, and any demand growth. Productive hours per FTE calculates from these. Edit only the amber cells; the white cells calculate for you.
FTE Headcount Planner — the Start Here guide from the download, listing every file and the order to use them.

Before you buy

Clear answers to the practical questions.

The point of a product page is to let you judge the work before checkout.

What exactly do I receive?

4 PDF guides, 1 Excel workbook, each one named in the What is inside section above. The purchase is a download, not a subscription, and the files are yours to keep.

Are these the real screenshots?

Yes. The preview images on this page are taken from the current deliverable, so you can judge the structure and writing before buying.

Can I use the files in my business?

The files are designed to be edited for your own internal operations. Review the included license and have legal counsel check decisions that require jurisdiction-specific advice.

What if I need help applying it?

Use the $149 Setup Session for one hour of implementation help on this tool. TrueStep HR does not offer broader consulting engagements. For a legal question, use qualified counsel.

Extend the system

Build on this decision.

These products address the next connected step in the same situation, operating method, or industry.

Employee Cost Calculator — the 5 files in this download shown as a stack of real pages: Excel + PDF, 14 pages in all.
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Employee Cost Calculator

See what an employee costs in full, not just the salary. The workbook adds payroll taxes, benefits, workers’ comp, paid time off, and overhead. It then gives you the fully loaded annual cost, the cost per month, and the real hourly rate.

Labor Burden Rate Calculator — the 5 files in this download shown as a stack of real pages: Excel + PDF, 19 pages in all.
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Labor Burden Rate Calculator

Turn a salary into the number you can price and bid against: the fully burdened hourly cost and the multiplier on base pay. Set each employer cost, and the workbook divides the all-in cost across the productive hours you really get.