Return on a benefits package is the gap between what the plan costs you and what it gives back: lower turnover, faster hiring, and steadier productivity. This calculator turns those soft effects into dollars so you can see whether your current spend is working as hard as it should. You enter a few real numbers about your company, and it models the value your benefits create against two reference points, an ideal mix built around your headcount and a full PEO benefits stack.
Replacing a mid-market employee commonly runs from a few thousand dollars for hourly roles to well over half of annual salary for skilled and salaried staff once you add recruiting, lost output, and ramp time. Even a small drop in turnover, paired with shorter time to hire, usually pays for a meaningful share of a benefits upgrade. The calculator shows that math in your own numbers rather than an industry average.
For most employers in the 20 to 250 employee range, the useful question is not whether benefits have a return, but where the next dollar earns the most. Pair this view with the Health Plan Cost Projector to test the funding side, or the Benefits Savings Strategy Builder to find waste you can redirect.
The inputs that move your ROI the most:
For broader context on how benefits and turnover affect employers, see SHRM's benefits and compensation resources.
There is no single benchmark, because it depends on your turnover and wage base. A practical read: if reduced turnover and faster hiring recover more than the added plan cost within the first year or two, the package is earning its keep.
A PEO stack is a richer, professionally administered benchmark. Comparing against it shows the ceiling on what a stronger package could return, so you can decide how far up that curve is worth climbing.
Headcount, average salary, current annual benefits spend, and a rough turnover rate. If you do not track turnover precisely, an estimate is fine; you can run a range.
Reviewed by Sam Newland, CFP, Founder of Benefitra. Last updated June 2026.