The Real Cost of a Hire
What a full-time seat actually costs, and what to do about it. Salary is the number you negotiate. Payroll tax, health cover, retirement match, paid time off, equipment and recruiting are the number you pay. This guide prices four common roles line by line, using public data, so you can see the difference before you sign an offer.
14 pages, PDF, free
$112,752
That is the combined burden on four full-time seats, on top of their salaries, every year. Read monthly it is $9,396 that buys no work at all. The guide shows where every dollar of it goes.
What is inside
Fourteen pages. Every figure sourced. Nothing you cannot check yourself.
01/The burden model
8 points
- Employer payroll tax at 7.65 per cent under FICA
- Health insurance employer share of about $7,583, from an $8,951 average single-coverage premium
- Retirement match at a 4.7 per cent average
- Paid time off costed at 21 days
- Equipment and software issued to the seat
- Recruiting at roughly $4,700 average cost per hire
- Workers' compensation and unemployment insurance
- The total that lands 35 to 55 per cent above base salary
02/Four roles, costed
6 points
- Executive support at a true annual cost of $106,260
- Marketing support at $80,597
- Operations support at $135,075
- Bookkeeping at $73,011
- Combined burden across the four of $112,752 a year
- The same figure read monthly: $9,396 that buys no work
03/The empty seat
4 points
- A median 44 days to fill a role, and what those days cost
- Worked scenarios on what leadership hours spent on delegable work are worth
- Which role tends to pay back first
- How WeAssist matching works, from first call to final match
Four roles, priced line by line
Base salary, employer burden, and the true annual cost of the seat.
| Role | Base salary | Employer burden | True annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Executive support | $77,060 | $29,200 | $106,260 |
| Marketing support | $55,171 | $25,426 | $80,597 |
| Operations support | $100,750 | $34,325 | $135,075 |
| Bookkeeping | $49,210 | $23,801 | $73,011 |
Who it is for
- Founders and owners still doing their own scheduling, inbox and admin
- Operators weighing a full-time seat against another year of doing it themselves
- Finance leads who need the loaded cost of a role, not the salary line
- Anyone who has been quoted a salary and wants to know the real number
Why the numbers hold up
Every figure comes from a public source, and each one is cited in the guide, so you can check the working or swap in your own inputs.
- BLS
- Wage and employer cost data
- IRS
- Payroll tax rates
- KFF
- Employer health premium survey
- SHRM
- Average cost per hire
- Fidelity
- Average employer retirement match
Stop being your own assistant
WeAssist recruits, vets and trains an Outsourced Professional for one business. That is a full-time hire, not a virtual assistant working a task list, not fractional cover and not a freelancer. The process runs from discovery call, through a client success analysis, talent sourcing and screening, and a client and talent interview, to a final match. After the match comes weekly live AI training, scheduled check-ins and ongoing optimisation support. If the match is not working, our 30-day rematch guarantee means we find a better fit at no additional cost.
- Under 2%
- of applicants accepted
- 98%
- client retention
- 2.5+ yrs
- average partnership
- 3-4 weeks
- first call to final match
Heather, who runs an insurance business, described the gain in hours rather than money, and the ability to finish at a regular time. Jordan, in home improvement, reported wearing fewer hats and sleeping better. Cassie, also in home improvement, found the matching process straightforward and low-stress. More than 500 families across 15 or more countries are supported by the placements behind that.