Contractor vs Employee Cost Calculator
Compare a contractor's loaded rate against an employee's fully-burdened cost — taxes, benefits and onboarding — for your headcount, country and engagement length, with the misclassification risk that comes attached.
Break-even: · Engagement:
| Contractor — total | |
| Employee — payroll & burden | |
| Employee — onboarding EOR setup + equipment, one-time | |
| Employee — total |
| Engagement | Cheaper | Contractor | Employee | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| You |
| $ |
Modelled estimate, not legal or tax advice. Employer contribution rates come from the Whichapp country dataset (government publications, Big Four tax summaries, and bureau rate cards). The 18% contractor premium is an industry midpoint for self-funded benefits plus self-employment tax; adjust it for your local market. Misclassification risk tiers are qualitative and reflect labour-authority enforcement posture as of 2026 — guidance, not legal opinion. Validate with local counsel before any hiring decision.