# FTE Headcount Calculator

> Convert a mix of full-time and part-time employees into full-time equivalents (FTE), with headcount and the average FTE per person.

Category: Salary, HR & payroll · Applies to: Worldwide · Last updated: 2026-10-29
Interactive calculator: https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/fte-headcount-calculator

Full-time equivalent (FTE) counts staff by hours rather than heads: a person working 20 hours of a 40-hour week is 0.5 FTE.

Also called: Full-time equivalent calculator.

## Inputs
- Full-time employees (unit people; default 40)
- Part-time employees (unit people; default 10; optional)
- Average part-time hours per week (unit h; default 20)
- Full-time hours per week (unit h; default 40)

## Results
- Total FTE
- Headcount
- FTE from part-timers
- Average FTE per person

## Formula

```
FTE = Full-time employees + Part-time employees × Part-time hours ÷ Full-time hours
```

Where:
- Part-time hours: average weekly hours of part-time staff
- Full-time hours: standard full-time weekly hours

## Worked example
1. Part-time FTE = 10 × 20 ÷ 40 = 5.
2. Total FTE = 40 + 5 = 45.
3. Headcount = 40 + 10 = 50, so 45 ÷ 50 = 0.9 FTE per person.

**Result:** Forty full-timers plus ten people on 20 hours a week make 45 FTE from a headcount of 50.

## What the result means

Use FTE for budgets, capacity and ratios such as revenue per employee; use headcount for anything per person, such as laptops, licences or benefits enrolment.

## Assumptions and limits
- Everyone counted full-time works the standard full-time week.
- Overtime, unpaid leave and contractors are not included; some reporting rules (for example for benefits eligibility) define FTE differently.

## Questions

### Is FTE based on contracted or actual hours?

Planning normally uses contracted hours. For a period review, use actual paid hours divided by full-time hours for the same period.

### Can FTE exceed headcount?

Not with contracted hours. It can if you count overtime, which is why overtime is usually excluded.

## Related calculators
- [Part-Time Equivalent Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/part-time-equivalent-calculator)
- [Workforce Scheduling Coverage Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/workforce-scheduling-coverage-calculator)
- [Team Utilization Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/team-utilization-calculator)
- [Ratio Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/ratio-calculator)

Source: GM¹X CalcVerse — https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/fte-headcount-calculator