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Full-time HR hire or part-time help? See year one.
See what a full-time HR hire costs in year one, next to the same senior help, part time. Our monthly plans run 5 to 24 hours a week.
Your company, your numbers
Pick a size band, a full-time role and a DMD path. Estimates update as you change them. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Under 15 people? We start smaller teams with one fixed-price project, like a handbook or People Audit, from $2,500, so there is no full-time cost to compare yet. You can still hire with a Flat-fee Search.
Full-time People seat
If you hired a full-time People seat · estimated year-1 all-in
$118,500 to
Year 2 is salary plus benefits and payroll taxes only. Estimates, not a quote.
DMD path estimate
Foundations only · one-time project, not a yearly cost
$3,500 to
One-time project, not a yearly cost. Scope set on a free 20-minute HR check.
Book a free 20-minute HR checkSide-by-side
At your size band, estimated first-year cost of a full-time hire is about $118,500 to $150,100. The DMD path you selected estimates about $3,500 to $7,500 as a one-time project, not a yearly cost.
Most companies your size need senior judgment, not a full-time seat. Yet. When you do need full time, we help you hire that person.
Estimates only. Not a quote, offer, or guarantee. Real scope is set on a free 20-minute HR check.
- You work with senior people directly. No juniors, no handoff.
- Our team has run 500+ hires in house. Our founder has built HR from zero four times.
- 3-month minimum, then month to month with 30 days’ notice.
Twenty minutes. Which plan fits, what it costs, and whether you need us at all.
Assumptions (US mid-market, conservative)
FTE salary bands by company size
Assumption · US mid-market HR Manager or HR business partner
| Size band | Base salary band (annual) |
|---|---|
| 15 to 40 | $75,000 to $95,000 |
| 41 to 80 | $90,000 to $115,000 |
| 81 to 150 | $105,000 to $130,000 |
| Over 150 | $120,000 to $145,000 |
Head of People option
Source · U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Base salary band: $149,280 to $199,290, the national median to 75th percentile annual wage for Human Resources Managers (SOC 11-3121), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. We use the senior end of HR manager pay as the basis for a Head of People, and one national band for every size. Year-1 all-in = base × 1.58, rounded to the nearest $100: $235,900 to $314,900.
Benefits and taxes on top of salary
Benefits and payroll taxes: about 43 percent of base. Wages and salaries are about 70 percent of what private employers spend on compensation; benefits are the other 30 percent (BLS, June 2026). That is why a $100,000 salary costs about $143,000 once benefits and payroll taxes are in. Formula: all-in cash = base × 1.43.
Recruiting the seat
Add 15 percent of base once in year 1 to recruit the seat, below the usual 20% agency fee, so the estimate stays conservative. Year-1 FTE all-in ≈ base × 1.58. Year-2 run-rate = base × 1.43 only.
DMD estimate ranges
| Offer | Estimate range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Foundations (project) | $3,500 to $7,500 one-time | Not a quote. Larger / multi-site builds toward the upper end. |
| Monthly fractional | 4 tiers, 5 to 24 hours a week | Priced on a free 20-minute HR check. |
| Foundations + first-year fractional | Foundations + a monthly tier | Assumes about 15 business days (3 weeks) of Foundations, then a monthly tier for the rest of year 1. |
Flat-fee Search is $5,000 to $12,000 per role, set by salary, and $12,000 for roles paying $150,000 or more.
Read this first
01
How to read this
We built this so founders can compare a full-time People hire to Foundations and a monthly tier without a spreadsheet. The full-time side uses conservative US mid-market bands. Foundations shows its public range. Monthly tiers are shown by hours, and we share pricing on a free 20-minute HR check. Neither side is a quote.
02
What Foundations covers
Handbook, hiring process, and employee-relations foundations so the founder stops being default HR.
What monthly fractional covers
Ongoing People capacity after Foundations (or when you need steady senior help without a full-time seat yet).
03
Not a fit
- Looking for HR software, automation products, or DIY tools instead of operator-led work
- Needing a law firm or a payroll provider instead of an HR leader
04
Under 15 or over 150?
- Under 15 people: we start with one fixed-price project, like a handbook or People Audit, from $2,500. You can still hire with a Flat-fee Search.
- Over 150 people: a full-time HR hire is often the better long-term buy, and we are glad to talk it through on a free 20-minute HR check.
Book a free 20-minute HR check
Twenty minutes. Which plan fits, what it costs, and whether you need us at all.
Book a free 20-minute HR checkPrefer email? deven@dmdsolutions.co