HR Budget Templates

Do you need to plan and manage the HR budget more efficiently and effectively? Here are two HR Budget Templates you could use. 

Links to HR Budget Templates

Generic HR Budget template

1. Salaries and Wages:

  • List the positions in your HR department and their corresponding annual salaries or wages, including benefits and bonuses.

2. Recruitment and Hiring:

  • Advertising costs for job openings
  • Fees for recruitment agencies or headhunters
  • Background check costs
  • Employee referral bonuses

3. Employee Benefits:

  • Health insurance premiums
  • Retirement plan contributions
  • Paid time off (PTO) accruals
  • Employee assistance program (EAP)
  • Wellness programs

4. Training and Development:

  • Cost of training materials and programs
  • Professional development conferences and seminars
  • Employee certification and licensing fees

5. Employee Relations:

  • Employee engagement and recognition programs
  • Employee surveys
  • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs
  • Grievance and disciplinary procedures

6. HR Information Systems:

  • HR software and technology expenses
  • Upgrades or maintenance fees for HR systems
  • Training and support for HRIS systems

7. Compliance and Legal:

  • Legal and consulting fees for HR-related issues
  • Compliance-related training
  • Record keeping and reporting costs

8. Miscellaneous Expenses:

  • Office supplies and equipment
  • Travel expenses for HR staff
  • Team-building events or off-site meetings

Total HR Budget: [sum of all the above expenses]

Note: This template is just an example, and the specific items in each category may vary depending on the needs of your organization.

Annual HR Budget Template

HR Budget Template

Budget Period: [Insert Fiscal Year]

Revenue:

  • Total revenue for the organization: [Insert amount]

Expenses:

  1. Salaries and Wages

    • HR Director: [Insert amount per year]
    • HR Manager: [Insert amount per year]
    • HR Generalist: [Insert amount per year]
    • Recruiter: [Insert amount per year]
    • HR Coordinator: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Salaries and Wages: [Insert total]
  2. Employee Benefits

    • Health Insurance: [Insert amount per year]
    • Dental Insurance: [Insert amount per year]
    • Vision Insurance: [Insert amount per year]
    • Life Insurance: [Insert amount per year]
    • Retirement Plan Contributions: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Employee Benefits: [Insert total]
  3. Recruiting Expenses

    • Job Board Posting: [Insert amount per year]
    • Recruitment Agency Fees: [Insert amount per year]
    • Candidate Travel and Expenses: [Insert amount per year]
    • Background Checks: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Recruiting Expenses: [Insert total]
  4. Training and Development

    • Employee Training Programs: [Insert amount per year]
    • Leadership Development: [Insert amount per year]
    • Professional Development: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Training and Development: [Insert total]
  5. Employee Engagement and Retention

    • Employee Engagement Surveys: [Insert amount per year]
    • Recognition and Rewards Programs: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Employee Engagement and Retention: [Insert total]
  6. HR Technology

    • HR Information System (HRIS): [Insert amount per year]
    • Applicant Tracking System (ATS): [Insert amount per year]
    • Total HR Technology: [Insert total]
  7. Other Expenses

    • Office Supplies: [Insert amount per year]
    • Business Travel: [Insert amount per year]
    • Total Other Expenses: [Insert total]

Total Expenses: [Insert total expenses]

Net Income: [Insert revenue minus total expenses]

Notes: [Insert any additional notes or explanations about the budget]

This HR budget template can be customized to include specific line items or categories that are relevant to your organization. It’s important to review and adjust the budget periodically to ensure that the HR department has the necessary resources to support the organization’s goals.

FAQ

Why is the HR budget important?

The budget for human resources (HR) is crucial for a number of factors.

  • Recruitment and retention: An organization's HR budget is essential for attracting and keeping the finest talent. This covers costs associated with promoting employment openings, holding interviews, and providing market-rate wages and benefits.
  • Training and development: The HR department of a company is in charge of offering employees chances for training and advancement. Their knowledge and skills are enhanced as a result, which eventually helps the company. To fund these kinds of tasks, the HR budget is required.
  • Compliance: The HR division also makes sure that the business complies with all applicable legal and governmental obligations. This covers costs for audits, training programs, and legal fees to guarantee compliance with regulations like the Equal Employment Opportunity Act.
  • Employee engagement: The HR funding is also used to make the workplace enjoyable and motivating for workers. This covers costs associated with efforts to raise employee morale, such as team-building exercises and employee recognition programs.

In general, the HR budget is essential for a company to efficiently handle its human resources and maintain its competitiveness in the labor market.

How do you prepare an HR budget?

There are several stages involved in creating an HR (human resources) budget, including:

  •  Identify the organization's HR goals and objectives: The first stage is to determine the HR goals and objectives that must be accomplished in the upcoming year. These could include initiatives to increase staff engagement, compliance targets, training and development objectives, and recruitment and retention targets.
  • Estimate the costs associated with each goal: After identifying the HR goals, the next stage is to calculate the costs related to achieving each goal. This could involve expenditures for HR staff salaries and benefits, recruitment and advertising costs, training and development costs, legal and compliance expenses, and employee involvement programs.
  • Allocate resources: The next step is to assign resources in accordance with the costs associated with each HR objective that have been estimated. This entails deciding how much money should be set aside for each objective and weighing the relative merits of various projects in relation to the resources at hand.
  • Monitor and track budget performance: After the budget has been allocated, it is crucial to frequently check in on and track budget performance. This entails comparing actual spending to planned amounts, spotting any discrepancies, and, if required, making corrections.
  • Review and adjust the budget as needed: Finally, it's critical to review and make necessary adjustments to the HR budget all year long. This might entail modifying the budget in response to shifting HR requirements or in response to shifting aspects of the organization's general financial situation.

Review and make necessary adjustments to the budget: In order to ensure that the organization's HR objectives are accomplished within budget, creating an HR budget requires careful planning, estimation, and resource allocation.

What are the most common HR costs?

Depending on the company, the most typical HR (human resources) costs can change, but some examples include:

  • Salaries and benefits:  One of the biggest HR costs is frequently the salaries and perks of HR employees. This covers HR specialists' salaries as well as perks like health insurance, retirement programs, and paid time off.
  • Recruitment and hiring:  There can be substantial expenses involved in finding and hiring new employees. This covers costs for things like job postings, marketing, background investigations, and pre-employment exams.
  • Training and development: Employee growth and development depend on having access to training and development chances, which can also boost overall performance. These fees might cover the price of the instructors, the course materials, travel, and lodging.
  • Compliance:  Compliance with employment-related rules and regulations is the responsibility of HR departments. This covers costs for audits, training programs, and legal fees to guarantee compliance with laws like the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Fair Labor Standards Act. (FMLA).
  • Employee engagement:  Another significant HR expense is fostering a supportive and stimulating work atmosphere for employees. This can cover costs associated with efforts to raise employee morale, such as team-building exercises and employee recognition programs.
  • HR technology:  To manage their HR procedures, many organizations depend on HR technology solutions. This covers fees for upgrades, installation, and maintenance as well as software licenses.

In order for an organization to effectively manage its human capital within budgetary limitations, handling HR costs requires careful planning, budgeting, and ongoing monitoring.

How do you calculate HR expenses?

In order to calculate HR (human resources) costs, one must first determine the expenses related to managing an organization's people capital. The methods to calculating HR costs are as follows:

  • Determine the HR functions to be included:  Choosing which HR functions will be considered in the calculation is the first stage. This may involve activities like hiring, development and training, pay and benefits, compliance, and employee involvement.
  • Identify the expenses associated with each HR function:  The next stage is to determine the costs related to each of the HR functions after they have been identified. For instance, costs related to hiring might include posting jobs, promotion, background checks, and pre-employment exams.
  • Calculate salaries and benefits for HR staff:  One of the biggest HR costs is frequently the salary and perks of HR employees. This covers HR specialists' salaries as well as perks like health insurance, retirement programs, and paid time off.
  • Estimate the cost of HR technology solutions:  To manage their HR procedures, many organizations depend on HR technology solutions. This covers fees for upgrades, installation, and maintenance as well as software licenses.
  • Add up all the expenses:  Add up the costs for each function to determine the organization's overall HR expenditures after all HR expenses have been identified.
  • Divide HR expenses by total revenue:  Divide the total HR costs by the total income to determine what percentage of the organization's revenue is spent on HR costs. You'll get a percentage in return that you can use as a benchmark against industry norms or to pinpoint areas where HR costs might be higher or lower than anticipated.

In general, accurately identifying and estimating the costs related to managing an organization's human resources is necessary for calculating HR expenses. Organizations can manage their HR budgets and make sure their resource allocation is as efficient as possible by knowing these costs.