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See what SUS could look like for your next hire.

Model one hire or a whole hiring plan, see how the cost lands month by month, then send it to us.

Modelling several different roles, each with its own salary and number of hires — up to ten role lines.

Your hiring plan

Add the roles you expect to hire and roughly when each one starts. Month 1 means now. Start months are planning assumptions, not recruitment commitments. One illustrative traditional percentage and one illustrative SUS percentage are applied across the whole plan — real terms are agreed with you individually.

Start from a suggestion

Optional editable starting structures. Every company hires differently — these are not a recommended sequence, and no salary here is a benchmark. Loading one replaces the role lines you currently have.

First few hires: A common early shape — one builder, one person close to customers, one generalist. Rename, re-time or delete anything.
After a funding round: A larger structure some teams use after raising — more engineering, a product voice and a first finance or people hire. Entirely editable.

Role 1
Role title
Annual salary (£)
Hires
Expected start
Planning month, where month 1 is now. Add a separate role line if hires of the same role start at different times.
Priority (optional)
Function (optional)
Status (optional)
Optional detail helps you sequence the plan. None of it changes any figure.
Role 2
Role title
Annual salary (£)
Hires
Expected start
Planning month, where month 1 is now. Add a separate role line if hires of the same role start at different times.
Priority (optional)
Function (optional)
Status (optional)
Optional detail helps you sequence the plan. None of it changes any figure.
Role 3
Role title
Annual salary (£)
Hires
Expected start
Planning month, where month 1 is now. Add a separate role line if hires of the same role start at different times.
Priority (optional)
Function (optional)
Status (optional)
Optional detail helps you sequence the plan. None of it changes any figure.
Role 4
Role title
Annual salary (£)
Hires
Expected start
Planning month, where month 1 is now. Add a separate role line if hires of the same role start at different times.
Priority (optional)
Function (optional)
Status (optional)
Optional detail helps you sequence the plan. None of it changes any figure.
Role 5
Role title
Annual salary (£)
Hires
Expected start
Planning month, where month 1 is now. Add a separate role line if hires of the same role start at different times.
Priority (optional)
Function (optional)
Status (optional)
Optional detail helps you sequence the plan. None of it changes any figure.

5 of 10 role lines used.

Plan assumptions

Currency for this plan

Changes the modelling currency only — figures are not converted between currencies.

Traditional recruitment fee (example)20%

Percentage of annual salary, invoiced in the month each hire starts.

SUS monthly fee (example)17.5%

Percentage of gross monthly salary per hire, charged monthly while that employee stays.

Length of employment per hire15 months

Counted from each hire's own expected start month, not from the start of the plan. Real employees leave at different times, so this is an assumption for modelling only.

Share the plan with your cofounders, paste the summary into a board pack, or print it (your browser can save that as a PDF). Your plan is saved in this browser only.

What this hiring plan looks like

5 hires across 5 roles, representing £300,000 of annual salaries, starting between month 1 and month 7.

Peak monthly recruitment cash requirement

The heaviest single month for recruitment cost under each approach. This is the number that decides whether a hiring plan is affordable in practice: it is the month your runway has to absorb, and the one worth checking against your cash forecast before you commit to the schedule.

Traditional example

£12,000

busiest single month for recruitment fees (month 1), at 20% of annual salary

SUS example

£4,375

busiest single month for recruitment fees (month 7), at 17.5% of gross monthly salary

This compares recruitment fees only — no salaries, employer costs or other payroll costs are included. It is a comparison of recruitment fee timing, not automatically a total saving: SUS payments continue each month while each hire remains employed under the agreed terms.

Total hires: 5; Across 5 role lines, month 1 to month 7
Total annual salaries represented: £300,000; Combined annual salaries of the hires modelled — not a recruitment cost
Total traditional recruitment fee: £60,000; Peak month: month 1 at £12,000
Peak monthly SUS recruitment cost: £4,375; Reached in month 7, once every hire modelled has started
Recruitment costs begin: Month 1; Final planned hire starts in month 7
SUS cost across this scenario: £65,625; £5,625 more than the total traditional recruitment fee

Your hires in priority order

Ordered by the priority you set, then by start month. This reflects your own labels — it is not a view on which roles a company should hire first.

1.Senior Software Engineerstarts month 1 · Must hire
2.Software Engineerstarts month 2 · Must hire
3.Product Managerstarts month 3 · Should hire
4.Account Executivestarts month 4 · Should hire
5.Finance or People Leadstarts month 7 · Could wait

Compare a different timing

Model the same hires on a different schedule. Nothing but the start months changes, and your own plan above is left exactly as it is until you choose to apply the alternative.

Hiring schedule

Your role lines in chronological order. Changing an expected start month above updates everything below instantly.

Month 1
- 1 × Senior Software Engineer at £60,000
1 hire starting · £12,000 traditional recruitment fee this month · £875 of new monthly SUS recruitment cost begins
Month 2
- 1 × Software Engineer at £60,000
1 hire starting · £12,000 traditional recruitment fee this month · £875 of new monthly SUS recruitment cost begins
Month 3
- 1 × Product Manager at £60,000
1 hire starting · £12,000 traditional recruitment fee this month · £875 of new monthly SUS recruitment cost begins
Month 4
- 1 × Account Executive at £60,000
1 hire starting · £12,000 traditional recruitment fee this month · £875 of new monthly SUS recruitment cost begins
Month 7
- 1 × Finance or People Lead at £60,000
1 hire starting · £12,000 traditional recruitment fee this month · £875 of new monthly SUS recruitment cost begins

Monthly recruitment cash requirement

Illustrative recruitment fees only, month by month. Under the traditional example a fee lands in the month each hire starts. Under the SUS example a monthly recruitment cost begins in that hire’s start month and continues for the 15 months modelled for that individual.

Recruitment fees incurred each planning month

Traditional
SUS

Planning month along the bottom. Recruitment fees only — this is not employee salary or payroll.

Illustrative recruitment fees incurred in each planning month where the cash requirement changes, with the cumulative position to date. Recruitment fees only, not salary.
Month	Traditional	SUS
Month 11 × Senior Software Engineer start	£12,000	£875
Month 21 × Software Engineer start	£12,000	£1,750
Month 31 × Product Manager start	£12,000	£2,625
Month 41 × Account Executive start	£12,000	£3,500
Month 71 × Finance or People Lead start	£12,000	£4,375
Month 16	£0	£3,500
Month 17	£0	£2,625
Month 18	£0	£1,750
Month 19	£0	£875
Month 21	£0	£875

In the first month recruitment costs begin (month 1), the traditional example asks for £12,000 and the SUS example asks for £875 — £11,125 of recruitment cost is not required in that month. That is recruitment fee timing, not a saving.

Cumulative recruitment cost across 21 planning months

Traditional (dashed)
SUS (solid)

At these example percentages, cumulative SUS recruitment spend for this plan reaches the total traditional recruitment fee at approximately month 17. Before that point less cash has left the business; after it, more.

Plan breakdown

Illustrative cost per role line, using the same example percentages throughout.

Expected start month, and illustrative traditional and SUS monthly recruitment cost, for each role in the plan.
Role	Salary	Hires	Start	Traditional example	SUS example / month
Senior Software Engineer	£60,000	1	Month 1	£12,000	£875
Software Engineer	£60,000	1	Month 2	£12,000	£875
Product Manager	£60,000	1	Month 3	£12,000	£875
Account Executive	£60,000	1	Month 4	£12,000	£875
Finance or People Lead	£60,000	1	Month 7	£12,000	£875
Total	£300,000	5	—	£60,000	£4,375

Senior Software Engineer
1 × £60,000 · starts month 1
Traditional example
£12,000
SUS example / month
£875
Software Engineer
1 × £60,000 · starts month 2
Traditional example
£12,000
SUS example / month
£875
Product Manager
1 × £60,000 · starts month 3
Traditional example
£12,000
SUS example / month
£875
Account Executive
1 × £60,000 · starts month 4
Traditional example
£12,000
SUS example / month
£875
Finance or People Lead
1 × £60,000 · starts month 7
Traditional example
£12,000
SUS example / month
£875
Total — 5 hires
£300,000 annual salaries represented
Traditional example
£60,000
Peak SUS example / month
£4,375

Decision pack

Take this plan to your cofounders or board

5 hires across 5 role lines over 21 planning months. Written from the numbers above so it can be read, challenged and approved without opening the planner. Print it, or copy the link to share the same plan.

This plan models 5 hires across 5 role lines, starting between planning month 1 and planning month 7, representing £300,000 of annual salaries. All figures are shown in GBP exactly as entered — nothing has been converted between currencies.

Under a traditional one-off fee at 20% of annual salary, the plan carries £60,000 of recruitment fees in total, with the heaviest single month being month 1 at £12,000. Under the SUS example at 17.5% of gross monthly salary, recruitment cost is spread monthly while each hire stays, peaking at £4,375 a month from month 7, and totalling £65,625 if every hire stays the full 15 months modelled.

Cumulative SUS recruitment cost reaches the total traditional fee of £60,000 at around month 17: before that month less cash has left the business, after it more has. The practical difference is when the cash is required: in month 1, £11,125 of recruitment cost is not required under the SUS example. That is a difference in timing and risk-sharing, not automatically a saving.

Figures are illustrative and generated from the inputs on this page. They are not a quotation, not a forecast of tenure and not financial advice; actual commercial terms are agreed separately and in writing.

The numbers on one screen

Hires modelled: 5; 5 role lines, month 1 to month 7
Annual salaries represented: £300,000; Payroll, not a recruitment cost
Traditional fee scenario (total): £60,000; Charged as each hire starts, at 20% of annual salary
Peak monthly recruitment cost — traditional: £12,000; Month 1
Peak monthly recruitment cost — SUS: £4,375; From month 7, at 17.5% of gross monthly salary
SUS scenario (total if every hire stays): £65,625; 15 months per hire from that hire's own start month
Crossover month: Month 17; When cumulative SUS cost meets the total traditional fee
Not required in the first month: £11,125; Recruitment cost deferred in month 1 — timing, not a saving

Cumulative recruitment cost at the months that matter

Recruitment fees paid to date under each scenario, at each hire start, the crossover point and the end of the period modelled.

Cumulative illustrative recruitment fees under the traditional and SUS scenarios at each milestone month, with the difference between them. Recruitment fees only.
Month	Traditional to date	SUS to date	Difference
Month 11 hire starts	£12,000	£875	£11,125 less
Month 21 hire starts	£24,000	£2,625	£21,375 less
Month 31 hire starts	£36,000	£5,250	£30,750 less
Month 41 hire starts	£48,000	£8,750	£39,250 less
Month 71 hire starts	£60,000	£20,125	£39,875 less
Month 12one year in	£60,000	£42,000	£18,000 less
Month 17cumulative SUS meets the traditional fee	£60,000	£61,250	£1,250 more
Month 21end of the period modelled	£60,000	£65,625	£5,625 more

Assumptions in this model

Traditional fee assumed: 20% of annual salary, once per hireAn example percentage chosen on this page, not a market rate
SUS fee assumed: 17.5% of gross monthly salary, each month the hire staysAn example percentage chosen on this page, not a quoted rate
Employment period modelled: 15 months per hireCounted from that hire's own start month; real tenure will vary
Start months: Phased, month 1 to month 7Relative planning months, not calendar dates or recruitment commitments
Currency: GBP, as enteredNo exchange rate has been applied to any figure
What is included: Recruitment fees onlyNo salary, employer taxes, equity, tooling or onboarding cost is modelled
If someone leaves: SUS billing for that person stops from their final day of employmentThis model assumes nobody leaves early, which is the cautious case for SUS totals
Replacement hiring: Not modelledA leaver who is replaced would add cost under either approach

Questions to validate before approving this plan

Worth answering with any recruitment supplier, including us.

Can cash flow absorb £12,000 in month 1 under the traditional scenario, and £4,375 a month from month 7 under the SUS scenario?
Is expected tenure likely to be shorter or longer than the month 17 crossover, and how confident are we in that view?
Is the hiring sequence right, and what happens to the plan if the hiring scheduled for month 7 is pulled forward or pushed back?
Which of these 5 role lines is the one we would still make if we could only make one?
Are the salary assumptions current for the markets we are hiring in?
What are the exact terms if a hire leaves early, and is anything still payable afterwards?
Is there a buy-out option, how is it valued, and when would we choose to use it?
What replacement or rework cover applies, and for how long?
Who owns the relationship and what happens to it if the account team changes?
What does the total cost look like under our realistic tenure assumption, not just the modelled one?

Want to pressure-test this?

Bring the plan to a conversation and we will talk through the assumptions honestly, including where a one-off fee may suit you better.

Talk to us about this plan

Budgeting recruitment across a hiring planHow to hold recruitment cost in a plan that changes
Single hire vs team hiringSequencing, and what phasing does to the peak month
What happens when a hire leavesThe leaver terms worth confirming before you sign
Reviewing a recruitment supplierWhat finance and ops usually want modelled first

Talk this hiring plan through with us

Illustrative recruitment fee planning only, not a quotation. Your SUS percentage, buy-out value and commercial terms are agreed with you individually in writing.

Talk this plan through

A plan with several roles in it usually has an order problem as well as a cost problem. We can talk through the sequencing, the market for each role and where the plan is likely to slip.

Talk this plan through

Nothing you have entered above is attached to this link. You choose what to tell us on the next page.

Startup StaffingSUS

Hiring plan decision pack

5 hires across 5 role lines over 21 planning months · prepared · figures in GBP, not converted between currencies · illustrative only, not a quotation

Summary

Key figures

Hires modelled5 role lines, month 1 to month 7	5
Annual salaries representedPayroll, not a recruitment cost	£300,000
Traditional fee scenario (total)Charged as each hire starts, at 20% of annual salary	£60,000
Peak monthly recruitment cost — traditionalMonth 1	£12,000
Peak monthly recruitment cost — SUSFrom month 7, at 17.5% of gross monthly salary	£4,375
SUS scenario (total if every hire stays)15 months per hire from that hire's own start month	£65,625
Crossover monthWhen cumulative SUS cost meets the total traditional fee	Month 17
Not required in the first monthRecruitment cost deferred in month 1 — timing, not a saving	£11,125

Hiring sequence

Planning month	Hires starting	Traditional fee that month	New monthly SUS cost
Month 1	1 × Senior Software Engineer	£12,000	£875
Month 2	1 × Software Engineer	£12,000	£875
Month 3	1 × Product Manager	£12,000	£875
Month 4	1 × Account Executive	£12,000	£875
Month 7	1 × Finance or People Lead	£12,000	£875

Roles and salary assumptions

Role	Salary	Hires	Expected start	Traditional scenario	SUS scenario (per month)
Senior Software Engineer	£60,000	1	Month 1	£12,000	£875
Software Engineer	£60,000	1	Month 2	£12,000	£875
Product Manager	£60,000	1	Month 3	£12,000	£875
Account Executive	£60,000	1	Month 4	£12,000	£875
Finance or People Lead	£60,000	1	Month 7	£12,000	£875
Total	£300,000 salaries	5	—	£60,000	£4,375 at peak

Cumulative recruitment cost at the months that matter

Month	Traditional to date	SUS to date	Difference
Month 11 hire starts	£12,000	£875	£11,125 less
Month 21 hire starts	£24,000	£2,625	£21,375 less
Month 31 hire starts	£36,000	£5,250	£30,750 less
Month 41 hire starts	£48,000	£8,750	£39,250 less
Month 71 hire starts	£60,000	£20,125	£39,875 less
Month 12one year in	£60,000	£42,000	£18,000 less
Month 17cumulative SUS meets the traditional fee	£60,000	£61,250	£1,250 more
Month 21end of the period modelled	£60,000	£65,625	£5,625 more

Monthly recruitment cash requirement

Recruitment fees only. Rows show the planning months in which the monthly cash requirement changes.

Month	Traditional that month	SUS that month	SUS paid to date
Month 1	£12,000	£875	£875
Month 2	£12,000	£1,750	£2,625
Month 3	£12,000	£2,625	£5,250
Month 4	£12,000	£3,500	£8,750
Month 7	£12,000	£4,375	£20,125
Month 16	£0	£3,500	£58,625
Month 17	£0	£2,625	£61,250
Month 18	£0	£1,750	£63,000
Month 19	£0	£875	£63,875
Month 21	£0	£875	£65,625

Assumptions

Traditional fee assumedAn example percentage chosen on this page, not a market rate	20% of annual salary, once per hire
SUS fee assumedAn example percentage chosen on this page, not a quoted rate	17.5% of gross monthly salary, each month the hire stays
Employment period modelledCounted from that hire's own start month; real tenure will vary	15 months per hire
Start monthsRelative planning months, not calendar dates or recruitment commitments	Phased, month 1 to month 7
CurrencyNo exchange rate has been applied to any figure	GBP, as entered
What is includedNo salary, employer taxes, equity, tooling or onboarding cost is modelled	Recruitment fees only
If someone leavesThis model assumes nobody leaves early, which is the cautious case for SUS totals	SUS billing for that person stops from their final day of employment
Replacement hiringA leaver who is replaced would add cost under either approach	Not modelled

Questions to validate before approving this plan

Can cash flow absorb £12,000 in month 1 under the traditional scenario, and £4,375 a month from month 7 under the SUS scenario?
Is expected tenure likely to be shorter or longer than the month 17 crossover, and how confident are we in that view?
Is the hiring sequence right, and what happens to the plan if the hiring scheduled for month 7 is pulled forward or pushed back?
Which of these 5 role lines is the one we would still make if we could only make one?
Are the salary assumptions current for the markets we are hiring in?
What are the exact terms if a hire leaves early, and is anything still payable afterwards?
Is there a buy-out option, how is it valued, and when would we choose to use it?
What replacement or rework cover applies, and for how long?
Who owns the relationship and what happens to it if the account team changes?
What does the total cost look like under our realistic tenure assumption, not just the modelled one?

The commercial model

Traditional recruitment charges a percentage of annual salary as a single fee in the month each hire starts. Startup Staffing charges an agreed percentage of each employee’s gross monthly salary each month while they remain employed by you, beginning in that employee’s own start month. SUS changes when recruitment expenditure happens. It is not automatically a total saving, because payments continue while each hire remains employed under the agreed terms, and over a long tenure the cumulative total can exceed a conventional one-off fee. If an employee leaves, billing for that employee stops from their final date of employment. A buy-out of the ongoing arrangement can be agreed commercially in writing. The client employs the candidate directly.

Illustrative example only, based on figures entered by the reader. It is not a quotation and it is not financial advice. Your SUS percentage, buy-out value and commercial terms are agreed with you individually in writing, and the SUS commercial terms remain the source of truth. Expected start months are planning assumptions rather than recruitment commitments, and real employees may leave at different times, so a single employment period per hire is an assumption for modelling only.

Startup Staffing (SUS) — operated by Humand Talent Limited (company number 12379847), 1 Abbey Street, Eynsham, OX29 4TB, United Kingdom.
joseph@humand.co.uk · 01865 657 000 · startup-staffing.com

What are you optimising for?

SUS suits some situations and not others. It is worth being honest about which one you are in before we talk.

Protect cash flow
You would rather keep working capital in the business than pay a large recruitment fee at the point of hire.
Share hiring risk differently
Billing is linked to the employee remaining with you, so the recruitment cost tracks the outcome rather than the introduction.
Build a team
Several hires close together, where the combined upfront fees would be difficult to absorb in one month.
Prefer a one-off fee
If you have the cash available and want the cost closed off on day one, a traditional fee is simpler — and SUS is probably not the right fit.

Know the cost. Now sharpen the requirement.

Our free hiring brief builder turns the role you are modelling into a proper technical brief — what success looks like, the genuine must-haves, and where you would flex. Print it, share it with your co-founder, or send it straight to us.

The salary from your first role line comes with you, so you do not start from a blank page.

Build a hiring brief

How the two fee models compare, without using the calculator

A traditional recruitment fee is a single invoice at the point of hire, calculated as a percentage of the first-year salary. The Startup Staffing model replaces that with an agreed monthly percentage of the employee's gross monthly salary, payable for as long as that person stays. The total you pay therefore depends on tenure: short tenure costs less than a traditional fee, and long tenure eventually costs more. The calculator on this page simply shows where that crossover falls for your own figures.

The maths: Traditional fee = annual salary × traditional percentage. Monthly SUS fee = (annual salary ÷ 12) × monthly percentage. Cumulative SUS cost = monthly fee × months employed.
Currency is display only: You can model in any of the supported currencies. Nothing is converted between them and no exchange rate is applied — the figures are simply presented in the currency you pick, and offering a currency is not a claim to operate in that market.
Where this model does not fit: If you expect very long tenure and have the cash to pay a fee up front, a traditional fee can work out cheaper. The calculator shows that crossover honestly rather than hiding it.
What is actually agreed: Percentages are agreed individually and confirmed in writing before any work starts. Everything shown here and in the calculator is illustrative modelling.

Illustrative example only, using the calculator's default figures: a £60,000 software engineer, a 20% traditional fee and a 17.5% monthly SUS fee. These percentages are examples, not a quoted rate.
Figure	Traditional	Startup Staffing
When you pay	Once, at the point of hire	Monthly, while the employee remains employed
Amount at hire	£12,000	£0
Amount per month	£0	£875 (17.5% of £5,000 gross monthly salary)
If they leave early	Fee already paid; recovery depends on a rebate clause	Monthly fee stops
Crossover point	—	Around month 14 on these figures, after which cumulative SUS cost exceeds the traditional fee

Nothing on this page is a quote, and nothing you enter into the calculator is sent to us or stored on our servers.

Planning several hires: sequence, timing and recruitment cash

A hiring plan is a list of the roles you expect to open, roughly when each one starts, and what each one costs in the month it starts. Recruitment fees are a separate cash line from salary, and their shape differs by model: a traditional fee is a single invoice in the month of the hire, while a monthly model spreads a smaller amount across the months that person stays. Planning the sequence therefore changes when money leaves the business, even when the number of hires does not change.

Why sequencing matters: Three hires in one month create one large recruitment invoice; the same three staggered across six months spread that cash. Neither is automatically right — the planner shows both so you can decide against your own runway.
What the planner models: Recruitment fees only, month by month: the traditional fee for each hire at its start month, the monthly Startup Staffing fee from that month onwards, the cumulative totals and where they cross over.
What it deliberately does not model: It is not a runway calculator. Salaries, employer costs, equipment, notice periods and taxes are not included, and no benchmark headcount or hiring sequence is implied by any suggested starting plan.
Currency is display only: You can model in any supported currency. Nothing is converted, no exchange rate is applied, and offering a currency is not a claim to operate in that market.

Your plan stays in your browser. It is saved locally so you can come back to it, and nothing is sent to us unless you deliberately start a conversation — and even then the plan itself does not travel with the enquiry.

Get my SUS rate

Send us the plan you have modelled and we will come back with a rate and terms to discuss. This is an enquiry only — it is not a quotation and not acceptance of any contractual terms.

Attached to your enquiry

5 hires across 5 roles · £300,000 annual payroll · 20% traditional example · 17.5% SUS example · £60,000 traditional vs £4,375 per month.

See what SUS could look like for your next hire.

Your hiring plan

Plan assumptions

What this hiring plan looks like

Peak monthly recruitment cash requirement

Your hires in priority order

Compare a different timing

Hiring schedule

Monthly recruitment cash requirement

Plan breakdown

Take this plan to your cofounders or board

The numbers on one screen

Cumulative recruitment cost at the months that matter

Assumptions in this model

Questions to validate before approving this plan

Want to pressure-test this?

Talk this plan through

Summary

Key figures

Hiring sequence

Roles and salary assumptions

Cumulative recruitment cost at the months that matter

Monthly recruitment cash requirement

Assumptions

Questions to validate before approving this plan

The commercial model

What are you optimising for?

Protect cash flow

Share hiring risk differently

Build a team

Prefer a one-off fee

Know the cost. Now sharpen the requirement.

How the two fee models compare, without using the calculator

Planning several hires: sequence, timing and recruitment cash

Get my SUS rate

Related reading

What a startup hire actually costs

How to compare an upfront fee with a monthly recruitment fee

How to budget recruitment costs across a hiring plan