Current for 2026•As of: July 2026

Personnel Cost Forecast plan your costs.

Plan your personnel costs for the next 12 months - including pay raises and new hires

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Headcount

1 employees200 employees
1,500 EUR15,000 EUR

Workforce planning

0.0 %10.0 %
None employees5 employees

Notes on the forecast:

  • 12-month projection from the current month
  • Pay raises are applied in January
  • Employer costs incl. social security, levies, accident insurance
  • New hires distributed evenly across the year

Personnel costs (12 months)

€605,784.48

Avg. €50,482.04 per month

Avg. per employee

€5,048.20

/ month

Employees

10

over the period

Development

+3.0%

over 12 months

12-month trend (stacked)

Zeitreihen-Diagramm: Gross salaries endet bei €41,200.00; Employer contributions endet bei €10,028.00.€0.00€12,807.00€25,614.00€38,421.00€51,228.00JulSepNovJanMarMayJun
  • Gross salaries
  • Employer contributions

Total cost breakdown

  • Gross salaries(80.4 %)€487,200.00
  • Employer contributions(19.6 %)€118,584.00

Next-year forecast

At a constant rate of change (+3.0%)€623,958.01

Difference: +€18,173.53

Detailed monthly overview
MonthStaffGrossEmployer shareTotal
Jul 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Aug 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Sep 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Oct 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Nov 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Dec 202610€40,000.00€9,736.00€49,736.00
Jan 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
Feb 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
Mar 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
Apr 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
May 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
Jun 202710€41,200.00€10,028.00€51,228.00
Total–€487,200.00€118,584.00€605,784.00

Important note

These calculations are for non-binding information only and do not replace professional tax advice. All information without guarantee. Learn more

Sources & calculation basis

Our calculations are based on the following official sources (as of: July 2026):

What is a personnel cost forecast?

A personnel cost forecast is a projection of a company's future staff expenses. It accounts not only for current salaries, but also for planned pay raises, new hires and the full employer costs including social security contributions, levies and accident insurance contributions.

This projection is an indispensable tool for strategic HR planning and lets you make well-founded decisions about budgeting, growth and staff development.

Why is workforce planning important?

Budgeting and liquidity
Precise planning of your monthly staff expenses for healthy liquidity
Strategic growth planning
Well-founded decisions about new hires and expansion
Early cost detection
Timely detection of cost increases and the need for action
Salary negotiations
A solid data basis for salary negotiations and budget discussions
Controlling & reporting
Meaningful metrics for management and stakeholders
Investor reports
Professional personnel cost projections for funding rounds

What gets calculated?

Calculation components in detail

  1. Gross salaries of all employees: Base salaries including planned pay raises over the forecast period
  2. Employer share of social security: Health insurance (7.3% + half the supplementary contribution, ca. 1.45% avg.), pension (9.3%), unemployment (1.3%), long-term care (1.8%, 1.3% in Saxony)
  3. Levy U1 - continued pay during illness: Illness levy for businesses with up to 30 employees (depends on health fund, ca. 1.3-3.2%)
  4. Levy U2 - maternity protection: Maternity levy for all employers (nationwide uniform 0.44%, since 01.01.2026)
  5. Levy U3 - insolvency benefit: Insolvency benefit levy for all employers (0.15%)
  6. Accident insurance contributions: Industry-dependent contributions to accident insurance (varies strongly by hazard class)
  7. Effects of pay raises: Cumulative effect of salary adjustments on all employer costs
  8. Costs from new hires: Full employer costs for newly hired employees from their start date

Important: Actual employer costs are typically about 20-25% above the gross salary. With a gross salary of €50,000, total costs of roughly €60,000-62,500 per year therefore apply.

Scenarios at a glance

Typical planning scenarios

Stable headcount
No new hires, 3% annual pay raise. Ideal for established companies in a consolidation phase with a focused team.
Moderate growth
1 new hire every 2 months, 3-4% pay raise. Typical for organic growth in SMEs and stable expansion.
Strong growth
2 new hires per month, 4-5% pay raise. Characteristic of startups, scale-ups and aggressive expansion phases.
Restructuring
A mix of departures and new hires. Relevant during restructuring, digitalization or strategy changes.

Use the calculator to run through different scenarios and compare the cost impact of different growth strategies. This lets you make well-founded decisions about your workforce planning.

Frequently asked questions about the personnel cost forecast

Everything important about HR budget planning and cost forecasting

A personnel cost forecast is a projection of a company's future staff expenses over a defined period, typically 12 months. It accounts for current salaries, planned pay raises, new hires and all employer costs including social security contributions, levies and accident insurance contributions.

Precise workforce planning enables realistic budgeting and liquidity planning. You detect cost increases early, can develop strategic growth plans on solid ground, and have a reliable basis for salary negotiations as well as controlling and reporting.

The forecast covers all employer costs: gross salaries of all employees, the employer share of social security (health, pension, unemployment and long-term care insurance), levies U1, U2 and U3, and accident insurance contributions. It also factors in the effects of pay raises and the costs of planned new hires.

As a rule of thumb, actual employer costs are about 20-25% above the gross salary. With a gross salary of €50,000, total costs of roughly €60,000-62,500 therefore apply. The exact percentage depends on the industry, accident insurance fund and individual factors.

You can simulate various growth scenarios: a stable headcount with only pay raises, moderate growth with occasional new hires, or strong growth with several new hires per month. This lets you compare the cost impact of different expansion strategies.

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