Employee Retention Rate Calculator

How it is calculated

The tool compares the people you had at the start of a period with how many of those same people are still there at the end. Retention % = R / S × 100, Turnover % = 100 − Retention % and Left = S − R. S is the headcount at the start of the period and R is the number of that starting group who stayed. Both values are plain counts of people with no time unit, so you choose the period (a quarter, a year). They must be whole numbers: a fractional headcount such as 250.5 gives no result. Retained must be between 0 and the starting headcount, and the starting headcount must be above zero, otherwise nothing is shown. New hires made during the period must not be included in R. Percentages show two decimals.

Common mistakes

• Entering the year-end headcount as retained. If you grew from 250 to 270, that total includes new hires, and the tool refuses anything above the starting headcount, so no result appears.
• Counting replacements as retained staff. Someone hired into a vacated seat did not stay, so retention for the original group stays unchanged.
• Comparing a quarterly rate with an annual rate. 95% retention in three months is far weaker than 95% over a year, so always note the period.
• Mixing up retention and turnover. A turnover of 11.60% means 88.40% retention, and a lower turnover number is the better outcome.
• Typing percentages or decimals in the headcount fields. They need whole numbers of people; 250.5 is rejected and shows no result. For part-time staff, count people, not full-time equivalents.