Employee Retention Rate Calculator
Measure the percentage of employees who stayed with your organization during a period.
How to Use the Employee Retention Rate Calculator
Enter the number of employees at the start of the period and how many of those same employees remain at the end. The calculator returns the retention percentage and the number of employees lost from the starting workforce.
Practical Example
If a company starts the year with 120 employees and 108 of those employees are still employed at year end, the retention rate is 90% and 12 employees from the original group left.
Factors That Affect the Result
Choose a consistent measurement period and count only employees who were part of the starting workforce. New hires, internal transfers, mergers, temporary workers and data-cleaning rules can change how retention is reported.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are new hires included?
No. Standard retention focuses on the employees present at the start of the period.
Is retention the same as turnover?
No. Retention measures who stays, while turnover measures who leaves.
Can retention exceed 100%?
No. When the starting cohort is used correctly, retention ranges from 0% to 100%.
Related Tools
- Employee Absence Rate Calculator
- Headcount Growth Calculator
- HR to Employee Ratio Calculator
- Manager to Employee Ratio Calculator
- Offer Acceptance Rate Calculator
Calculation Method and Interpretation
Retention rate typically compares employees who remain through a period with the eligible starting workforce. New hires during the period are usually treated separately; mixing starting headcount and ending headcount without a defined cohort can distort the rate.