Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Calculator
Enter your number of full-time and part-time employees, the average part-time hours, and the standard full-time week to get the total FTE count for budgeting, reporting or workforce planning.
hrs/wk
hrs/wk
Full-time equivalent headcount across all employees
6.5
FTEFull-time FTE
76.9%
Part-time FTE
23.1%
- 1
FTE from full-time staff
5 × 1 = 5 - 2
FTE from part-time staff
3 × 20 ÷ 40 = 1.5Each part-time employee contributes a fraction equal to their hours divided by the full-time standard. - 3
Total FTE
5 + 1.5 = 6.50
How does this calculator work?
FTE = (number of full-time staff) + (part-time staff × their average weekly hours ÷ standard full-time hours). A part-timer at 20 hrs in a 40-hr standard week is 0.5 FTE. Sum all FTEs to get the total workforce equivalent for budgeting, reporting or compliance thresholds.
Formula
How this is calculated
A full-time equivalent (FTE) converts any mix of full-time and part-time working hours into a single standard unit representing one employee working a full week. One FTE equals one full-time employee working the organisation's standard hours — most commonly 40 hours per week in the US, though 37.5 or 35 hours are common in Europe and the UK.
Full-time employees each contribute exactly 1 FTE. Part-time employees contribute a fraction: a worker doing 20 hours in a 40-hour standard week is 0.5 FTE. The calculator sums these fractions across all part-time employees and adds them to the headcount of full-time staff.
FTE is widely used for budget allocation, salary benchmarking, grant applications, regulatory headcount thresholds (such as the ACA 50-employee rule in the US for employer-sponsored health coverage, measured for the prior calendar year) and workforce analytics. The standard hours threshold is an editable input because it varies by organisation, country and role — always check the definition used in your specific context when comparing FTE figures.
Frequently asked questions
One FTE represents the hours worked by one employee on a full-time schedule. If full-time is 40 hours per week, then two employees each working 20 hours per week together equal 1 FTE.
Yes, in most contexts seasonal and temporary workers count proportionally based on their average weekly hours, using the same formula. Some regulatory frameworks (such as ACA in the US) have specific averaging rules for seasonal employees — check the applicable regulation.
Thresholds vary widely. Under the US Affordable Care Act, 50 FTEs is the key threshold for applicable large employer status. EU definitions of SME use different criteria. Always verify the applicable regulatory or funding definition for your use case.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Calculator [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/full-time-equivalent-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Calculator." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/full-time-equivalent-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Calculator," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/full-time-equivalent-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_full_time_equivalent_calculator, title = {Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Calculator}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/full-time-equivalent-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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