FTE Calculator
Enter the total workload and the hours of one full-time person to get the FTE (full-time equivalent) and a reference number of people. You can also start from a headcount and each person's hours.
What FTE means
FTE (full-time equivalent) expresses an amount of work as the number of full-time people it equals. An FTE of 1.0 is one full-time person, and 0.5 is half of that.
FTE = total hours worked ÷ base hours (the hours of one full-time person in one period).
FTE is an amount of working time, not a head count. If the base hours are 160 per month, four part-time people who each work 80 hours are 4 people but 2 FTE.
What the hours and the period assume
- You enter the base hours. The tool has no default, because the number of hours of a full-time job differs between employers, countries and contracts. Use the figure from your own contract or policy, for the period you are working in (for example, a weekly figure for a weekly workload).
- The period (week, month or year) only changes the wording on screen. The total workload, the base hours and each person's hours must all be for the same period. Mixing a monthly workload with weekly base hours gives a meaningless answer.
- Holidays, overtime and expected absences are not included. They are in whatever hours you enter.
Two calculations
- FTE from workload: total workload ÷ base hours = FTE. The tool also shows the number of people needed (reference): total workload ÷ hours per person, rounded up to a whole number. If you leave the hours per person empty, the base hours are used.
- FTE from people and hours: for each group, people × hours per person are added up and divided by the base hours. The tool shows the total number of people next to the FTE.
Examples
With base hours of 160 per month:
| Calculation | Input | Result |
|---|---|---|
| From workload | 480 hours of work | 3 FTE, 3 people needed |
| From workload | 500 hours of work | 3.13 FTE (3.125 rounded), 4 people needed (500 ÷ 160 = 3.125, rounded up) |
| From workload | 480 hours of work, 80 hours per person | 3 FTE, 6 people needed |
| From people and hours | 4 people × 80 hours | 2 FTE, 4 people |
The number of people is a reference value
The number of people needed is total workload ÷ hours per person, rounded up from the exact value, not from the FTE after it was rounded to 2 decimal places. Absences, handover, limits on working in parallel and differences in skill are not considered. Adding people does not always shorten the time to finish in proportion.
How this differs from other calculators
| Tool | What it does | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Utilization Rate Calculator | Worked hours ÷ available hours, as a percentage | This tool finds a quantity of staffing (FTE and people) from the work needed, not a percentage. |
Notes
- Leave, overtime and absence forecasts, differences in job skills and labor cost calculations are not covered.
- Base hours must be greater than 0. If the hours per person are 0, the number of people cannot be calculated.
- Hours can have up to 9 digits before the decimal point and 6 decimal places. Use a period as the decimal separator; commas are accepted only as thousands separators.
- This tool does not apply any legal or statistical definition of FTE, which differs between organizations, countries and reporting rules.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FTE and headcount?
FTE is the total hours worked divided by the base hours. Headcount is the actual number of people. Four part-time people working 80 hours each, with base hours of 160, are 4 people and 2 FTE.
How many base hours should I use?
There is no fixed value. Use the hours of one full-time person in your organization or under your rules, for the same period as your workload.
Why can the number of people be larger than the FTE?
The number of people is a rounded-up reference value. Also, when each person works fewer hours than the base hours, the same FTE takes more people.