SaaS founders

Hiring Plan vs. Cash

How much runway does the hiring plan consume—and which hire costs the most?

Inputs

Operating plan

Cash in bank

All operating accounts today.

MRR

Current monthly recurring revenue.

MRR growth per month assumption

Replace with your trailing three-month average.

Non-payroll monthly opex

Hosting, tools, rent and contractors.

Current monthly payroll (loaded)

Gross wages plus employer taxes and benefits.

Load factor for new hires assumption

Replace with your employer-tax and benefits multiplier.

Projection horizon

months

Months to simulate; hire start months adjust to stay inside it.

Team

Runway with hiring plan18 monthsWithout hires: Beyond 24 months.

Runway consumed7 months

Month 1 burn$164,300

Peak new payroll$48,438

Planned hires4

With hiring planWithout hires

Hire	Start	Annual loaded cost	Runway cost
Senior Engineer	Month 4	$231,250	7 mo
AE	Month 2	$150,000	7 mo
CSM	Month 6	$112,500	7 mo
SDR	Month 3	$87,500	7 mo

Delaying Senior Engineer by 3 months returns 2 months of runway.

Illustrative analysis from the numbers you entered. Not accounting, tax, or investment advice. Benchmarks are third-party ranges, not targets.

A calculator can flag the question. A CFO model can account for the timing, risks, and decisions unique to your business.