Every hire has a
Break-Even Bar.

Of every pound this business brings in, some goes on delivery costs — the rest is what they keep. The salary has to fit inside the "keep." Enter the salary below and watch the bar appear.

What you'll say in the meeting →

To hire the candidate, the business needs to find £— in monthly value. Their yearly run cost is £— — and the business keeps —p of every pound they generate. That's the bar.

1Start here

Role or candidate name Optional

Annual salary Gross

2What does the business keep?

Of every £1 of revenue, the business keeps 30p

keeps 30p

70p covers delivery costs

What they keep Cost of doing the work

This is the gross profit margin — what remains after paying for materials, direct labour, and the cost of delivering the work. Not sure? 30p is a reasonable mid-market default. A software business keeps more; a manufacturer keeps less.

The Break-Even Bar

Monthly revenue needed to cover this hire

£—

£— per year

Enter a salary above to see the bar.

Monthly run cost

£—

Break-Even Bar

£—

Enter a salary above to see the explanation.

Recurring run costs (these drive the bar)

Employer NICs & pension ~15% if unsure

The tax and pension the company pays on top — never appears on a payslip but real to the P&L.

Other benefits Car, health, etc.

Any recurring perks that appear on a P11D or company cost centre.

VAT not reclaimable?

Only relevant if this business is not VAT-registered — adds 20% to cost base.

Not VAT-registered

Getting started costs (year one only — separate from the bar)

Recruitment fee Your placement fee

Onboarding & training First 90 days

Why 90 days? New hires typically reach independent productivity between weeks 8–12. Before that, a senior person's time is being consumed. Junior roles: £1–2.5k. Mid-level: £2.5–5k. Senior: £5–10k+. Rule of thumb: 5% of salary.

Senior person's hourly rate Doing this work instead

What does the person currently covering this role cost per hour? Use their fully-burdened cost divided by 1,650 hours/year if unsure.

Hours per week being absorbed

How many hours weekly is the senior person spending on work this hire would own?

12 hrs/wk

🩸

Monthly bleed: keeping this seat open costs the business in wasted senior capacity.

£—

per month

Monthly bleed (now)

£—

Senior doing junior work
— hrs/wk at £—/hr

Monthly hire cost

£—

New hire, recurring cost
per month

Enter values to see the comparison.

The close: "Based on what you know about this role — is that number a realistic bar for someone of this calibre to clear?"

Every hire has aBreak-Even Bar.

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Shareable Brief

Every hire has a
Break-Even Bar.