π₯ FTE Calculator
Headcount translated to full-time.
Full-time equivalents
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
Full-time equivalent converts a part-time workforce into the number of full-time workers it equals: total part-time hours divided by the full-time standard. 12 people averaging 25 hours is 300 hours a week, or 7.50 FTE at a 40-hour standard. Regulators, insurers, and HR planners all think in FTE, not headcount.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter the number of part-time employees, their average weekly hours, and your full-time standard (usually 40). The calculator returns FTE.
Enter part-time headcount.
Enter average hours per week across them.
Set the full-time standard and read FTE. For what those FTEs cost, our labor cost calculator adds the burden.
The FTE Formula
FTE measures labor input, not people: 12 part-timers at 25 hours equal 7.5 full-timers for capacity planning. The Affordable Care Act uses a specific version, monthly hours divided by 120, to decide if you are an applicable large employer at 50+ FTE. Some firms define full-time as 37.5 or 35 hours; the calculator lets you set the standard because the definition varies.
Worked Example
12 part-timers x 25 hours = 300 hours weekly. Divide by 40: 7.50 FTE. Add 20 full-time staff and the company has 27.5 FTE, safely under the ACA's 50-FTE threshold. Contrast a retailer with 40 part-timers at 25 hours: 1,000 hours is 25 FTE, plus 30 full-timers is 55 FTE, making it an applicable large employer with coverage obligations. The headcount said 70 people; the FTE said 55; the law uses the second number.
Where FTE Decides Things
ACA employer mandate at 50 FTE, small-business health care tax credits under 25 FTE, PPP loan calculations, and project staffing all run on FTE. It also disciplines hiring conversations: "we need 3 FTE" is answerable with full-timers, part-timers, or contractors, while "we need 3 people" is not. The trap is averaging: FTE hides distribution, so 7.5 FTE could be 12 steady part-timers or wild weekly swings, and scheduling pain lives in the distribution.
My advice: track both headcount and FTE, and never let FTE alone set schedules. Use FTE for budgets, compliance, and capacity; use the actual roster for the human reality of coverage. When converting roles, compare loaded costs per FTE, not per person, or part-time looks artificially cheap.
Estimates for planning only, not financial advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a full-time equivalent?
A unit of labor equal to one full-time worker, usually 40 hours a week. Two half-time workers equal 1.0 FTE. It measures total labor input rather than number of people.
How do you calculate FTE?
Total part-time hours divided by the full-time standard: (headcount x average hours) / 40. Add full-time staff at 1.0 each for the company total.
What is FTE for ACA purposes?
Monthly part-time hours divided by 120, summed with full-time headcount. At 50+ FTE you are an applicable large employer subject to the employer mandate. Seasonal exceptions apply.
Is 40 hours always the FTE standard?
No. Many employers use 37.5 or 35. The ACA uses 30 hours a week to define full-time for its purposes. Always state your standard when reporting FTE.
FTE vs headcount: which matters?
Both. Headcount counts people for culture and management load; FTE counts labor for budgets, compliance, and capacity. Laws like the ACA use FTE.
Can FTE be fractional?
Yes, routinely: 7.5 FTE is normal. It represents labor input, not a person, so fractions are expected and reported to two decimals in filings.
Do contractors count in FTE?
For internal capacity planning, often yes as contracted FTE. For ACA and most compliance, no: only common-law employees count. Keep the two tallies separate.
How does FTE affect project staffing?
It converts effort estimates into hiring: a 6-person-month project needs 0.5 FTE for a year or 6 FTE for a month. Staffing plans built on FTE avoid the "we need people" vagueness.
What is the difference between FTE and FTE salary?
FTE counts labor input; FTE salary prorates pay to it, so 0.5 FTE at a $80,000 full-time rate earns $40,000. Job postings use FTE salary to compare part-time offers fairly.
Do interns count toward FTE?
Paid interns working real hours generally count in internal FTE tallies. For ACA and compliance purposes, only common-law employees count, so keep interns in the planning number and out of the legal one.
How do I convert contractors to FTE for planning?
Divide their weekly hours by your full-time standard and label it contracted FTE. A 20-hour-a-week contractor is 0.5 contracted FTE: useful for capacity, excluded from compliance math.
Why do job posts say 1.0 FTE?
It signals a full-time position and sets the pay basis: 0.6 FTE at a $70,000 rate pays $42,000. It is the cleanest way to advertise part-time roles without ambiguity.
Can one person be more than 1.0 FTE?
In headcount math no, but in overtime-heavy operations a worker logging 60 hours is 1.5 FTE of labor input. Capacity plans use the higher number; HR records keep the person at 1.0.