Receptionist true cost calculator: wage and overhead vs AI
A receptionist's true cost is the hourly wage plus what you pay on top of it: payroll taxes, benefits, paid leave. Enter your wage, hours and call volume, and you'll see that yearly figure next to an AI answering service billed by the call. No email needed.
Employee cost a year
$49,920
$41,600 in wages plus $8,320 in on-costs.
- GreetKeeper Starter a year
- $1,668
- That plan each month, overage included
- $139
- Difference a year
- $48,252
Coverage
- Wanted hours your employee covers
- 66.7%
- Hours a week left unanswered
- 20
- Staffing every wanted hour, a year
- $74,880
The service figure is twelve months of the cheapest plan at your call volume. It answers the phone and nothing else, so read the limits below before you compare the two lines.
What a receptionist really costs you
Start with the receptionist wage per hour you pay, or plan to post. That's only the visible part. Employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation, benefits and paid leave ride on top of every hour, and your payroll provider can tell you that share as a percentage.
Wage plus on-costs is the true hourly cost. With the example inputs of $20 and 20%, one staffed hour costs you $24. Over a 40-hour week for a year, that comes to $49,920.
Spread across 400 calls a month, the same employee costs about $10.40 for every call answered, before they do any other task. A GreetKeeper plan prices the phone on its own, by the call, with the overage rate printed on the pricing page.
The formulas, in plain words
| Line | How it's worked out |
|---|---|
| Wages a year | Hourly wage times hours a week times 52. |
| On-costs a year | Wages times your on-cost percentage. |
| Employee cost a year | Wages plus on-costs. |
| Service cost a year | The lowest plan bill at your monthly calls, times 12. |
| Hours covered | Hours worked divided by hours wanted, capped at 100%. |
| Staffing every hour | Hourly wage times hours wanted times 52, plus on-costs. |
Recruiting fees, training weeks and turnover belong in a true-cost sum as well. Fold your estimate into the on-cost percentage and every employee line moves with it. GreetKeeper plans carry no setup fee, so the service line is the whole price.
A worked example
The form opens on these inputs. The wage is a round placeholder for you to replace.
Wages
$20 an hour for 40 hours, 52 weeks a year, is $41,600.
On-costs
20% of $41,600 is $8,320. Together that's $49,920 a year, or $24 for each hour worked.
The service
400 calls a month is 200 past the Starter allowance. $49 plus 200 times $0.45 is $139 a month, so $1,668 a year.
The gap
$49,920 less $1,668 leaves $48,252.
Coverage
You want 60 hours answered and the employee works 40. That covers 66.7% and leaves 20 hours a week open. Staffing all 60 would cost $74,880 a year.
Keep the person, forward the overflow
Three ways to read the result
If you were about to hire only because the phone rings too much, look at the top two lines. The gap between them is what the hire would cost you for that one task.
If you already have someone, look at coverage. An employee on forty hours isn't at the desk for a Saturday call or the one at 7pm, however good they are. Those open hours are the part a service fills without touching anyone's job.
And if you're a one-person shop, set the wage to what an hour of your own time bills at. Put in the hours you spend on the phone each week. It's a rough measure, but it shows what picking up costs you in work not done.
Questions about receptionist cost
How much does a receptionist really cost per hour?
Your hourly wage plus your on-cost percentage of it. At the example $20 an hour and 20% on-costs, each hour on the desk costs you $24. For a public pay source by area, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data for receptionists and information clerks (occupation code 43-4171).
Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a full-time receptionist?
For the phone, yes, by a wide margin at most call volumes. With the example inputs, a full-time employee costs $49,920 a year and GreetKeeper Starter at 400 calls a month costs $1,668. Put in your own wage and call count to see your gap.
What on-cost percentage should I enter?
Your payroll provider or accountant has the exact figure. It covers employer payroll taxes, workers' compensation, benefits and paid time off. Add recruiting and training too if you want the full true cost, since it changes with your state and your benefits.
Why does the form open on a $20 wage?
It's a round placeholder so the sums show on first load, and it isn't a pay statistic. Type over it with what you pay today, or with the receptionist wage per hour on the job ad you were about to post.
How do I model a part-time hire?
Set the hours worked to the part-time hours, and leave the hours you want answered where they are. The coverage lines then show how much of your week is still open, and what staffing all of it would cost.
Let your front desk hear it first
Start the 14-day free trial with no card, forward the calls your desk misses, and ask your receptionist what they'd hand off.