· ReadyStack
Worked example
Real numbers from this tool, line by line.
A US seed startup with 8 people at a 140,000-dollar average salary carries a hidden payroll cost of 13,294 dollars a month, and that cuts its runway from 13.8 months to 12.3. Founders who budget salaries only tell investors they have 1.5 months more cash than they do.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Security per head (6.2% up to 184,500) | 8,680 dollars |
| Medicare per head (1.45%) | 2,030 dollars |
| FUTA and SUI per head | 231 dollars |
| Loaded cost per head per month | 13,328.42 dollars |
| Hidden payroll cost per month | 13,294 dollars |
| Net burn per month | 121,627.33 dollars |
| True runway in months | 12.3 |
| Runway on salaries only, in months | 13.8 |
The inputs: 1,500,000 dollars in the bank, 20,000 dollars of monthly revenue, 750 dollars of benefits per person per month, 35,000 dollars of other monthly spend, and a 2.7% state unemployment rate on a 7,000-dollar wage base.
Where the missing money goes
Every US employer pays its own share of payroll tax on top of the salary. For 2026 the Social Security Administration set the taxable maximum at 184,500 dollars, and the employer pays 6.2% on wages up to that figure. Medicare adds 1.45% on every dollar with no cap. FUTA is 6.0% on the first 7,000 of wages, which drops to 0.6% once the full 5.4% state credit applies (IRS Topic 759). Your state unemployment rate comes from your own state notice. Benefits sit on top.
None of this shows up when a planning sheet multiplies headcount by salary. On a team of 8 it adds 13,294 dollars a month.
Three teams, three answers
We ran the same workbook on three situations.
8 people, 1,500,000 in the bank, 20,000 MRR. Net burn is 121,627.33 dollars a month. True runway is 12.3 months; the salary-only figure is 13.8.
20 people at 200,000, 60,000 MRR. Social Security per head stops at 11,439 dollars because 200,000 is above the 184,500 base, and Medicare per head rises to 2,900. Hidden payroll cost is 39,283.33 dollars a month. Runway is 4.3 months instead of 4.9.
8 people, 3,000,000 in the bank, 100,000 MRR. Net burn falls to 41,627.33 dollars a month. True runway is 72.1 months, and a salary-only plan says 105.9, an overstatement of 33.8 months. The closer you are to break-even, the more the missing tax line distorts the answer.
What the free page does
Type your eight figures and the page shows all ten Runway lines: Social Security, Medicare, FUTA and SUI per head, loaded cost per head, fully loaded payroll, hidden payroll cost, net burn, true runway, salary-only runway and the months a salary-only plan overstates. It runs in your browser and uploads nothing.
What the workbook adds
The .xlsx keeps the same 12 live formulas on three sheets, so you can save one copy per hiring scenario and attach it to a board deck. Its Raise plan sheet answers the next question: in the first example you need to cut burn by 38,294 dollars a month, or raise 689,292 dollars, to reach 18 months of runway.
When to run it again
The Social Security wage base changes every January. The 2027 base applies from 2027-01-01. Run it again then, and before each offer letter you sign.
15 seconds — what it actually does
Questions people ask
What does this startup financial model template work out?
From 8 inputs (cash in bank, MRR, headcount, average salary, benefits per head, other monthly spend, SUI rate, SUI wage base) its 12 formulas work out Social Security, Medicare and unemployment tax per head, loaded monthly cost per head, monthly payroll, hidden payroll cost, net burn, true runway, salary-only runway, months overstated, burn cut for 18 months and the raise for 18 months.
Who is this startup financial model template for?
Founders, CEOs and first finance hires at US seed and Series A startups who plan hiring from salary numbers and report runway to investors. It fits SaaS, fintech and health tech teams of a few to a few dozen people, where one missing payroll tax line moves the runway by a month or more.
Why not use a free startup financial model template?
Most free templates multiply headcount by salary and stop. In 2026 a US employer also pays 6.2% Social Security on wages up to 184,500 dollars, 1.45% Medicare on all wages, FUTA at 0.6% of the first 7,000 and state SUI, plus benefits. Leave those out and your burn is too low and your runway too long.
What is free and what is in the workbook?
The page is free and complete for one runway check on your own figures: employer tax per head, loaded cost per head, monthly payroll, hidden payroll cost, net burn, true runway, salary-only runway and months overstated, with no sign-up. The workbook adds a raise plan sheet with the burn cut and the raise needed for 18 months of runway.
How does this compare with a payroll provider or an accountant?
A payroll provider shows employer taxes only after you hire, one paycheck at a time. This template puts the same federal rates on your planned team before the offer letter, next to cash and revenue. Your accountant can still review it; you arrive with a runway figure built from the SSA and IRS rates instead of salaries alone.
When do these payroll tax numbers change next?
The Social Security wage base is re-indexed every year under 42 U.S.C. 430. The 2026 base is 184,500 dollars; the 2027 base applies from 2027-01-01 and SSA publishes it with its October cost-of-living announcement. Your state SUI rate and wage base change on the date your state notice says, so re-run then.
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