MarginKoala

Should I hire or outsource this work?

Enter your numbers below. Get the answer first, then Koala's next move.

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Numbers to enter
Compare the same workload under both models. Use genuinely fully-loaded employee cost and separately enter fixed costs that do not scale with hours.
hrs

Use the same work requirement for both options.

$
$

Optional retainers, platform fees, vendor-management costs or other fixed annual costs not already inside the hourly rate.

$

Include wage plus the employer-side costs that genuinely apply in your jurisdiction and are attributable per hour. Do not use a generic burden percentage.

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Recruitment software, licences, equipment, workspace or management costs not already included in the fully-loaded hourly rate.

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Recruitment, onboarding and training cost that belongs only in year one.

Koala's Calculated Result
First-year cash cost for the same annual workload.

Add the weekly work hours, weeks per year and both cost structures.

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What should I check next?

Frequently asked questions

When should I hire vs. outsource?

When the per-year cost is lower at the engagement volume AND the work is steady-state. Outsourced cheaper on a per-task basis but paying fully-loaded hire saves when the work has long-life leverage on the business.

Hire vs Outsource

What is supervision cost?

There is no universal numeric benchmark for this decision. The right comparison depends on the industry, geography, business model, time period and exact metric definition. Use the business’s own history, economics and explicit target unless a verified benchmark matching that scope is available.

Hire vs Outsource

What is the ramp weeks input?

How many weeks the new hire needs to full productivity. Plans the gap between contracting and the work being self-sufficient — a key driver of the early-period cost in any hire decision.

Hire vs Outsource

How is the 12-month number different from the steady-state one?

Use the calculator result for the inputs entered and keep any market-response or operating recommendation separate from the deterministic calculation. Support that additional assumption with the business’s own evidence or an explicitly labelled scenario.

Hire vs Outsource

Educational use, not financial advice. Numbers are estimates for planning; consult a qualified professional before acting on them.