# What is my employee turnover rate?

Computes the employee turnover rate for a period: the employees who left ÷ the average headcount × 100, with the quit, layoff and other separation rates as BLS defines them.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/employee-turnover-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/finance/employee-turnover-calculator.json
- Version: f6b580c7395f

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Employees at the start 200, Employees at the end 220, Count the leavers In total, Employees who left 21): 21 left out of an average headcount of 210: a turnover rate of 10%.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| start | Employees at the start | How many employees were on the payroll at the start of the period. |
| end | Employees at the end | How many employees were on the payroll at the end of the period. |
| by | Count the leavers | Whether you enter one total of employees who left, or the totals by type of separation. |
| left | Employees who left | Separations: everyone who left the payroll during the period, for any reason. |
| quits | Quits | Employees who left by choice, not counting retirements and transfers to other locations. |
| layoffs | Layoffs and discharges | Separations the employer started: layoffs, positions cut, and firings. |
| other | Other separations | Retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, and separations due to disability. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| rate | Turnover rate | Employees who left ÷ average headcount × 100. |
| average | Average headcount | (Employees at the start + employees at the end) ÷ 2. |
| separations | Employees who left | All separations in the period. |
| quitRate | Quit rate | Quits ÷ average headcount × 100: the voluntary turnover rate. |
| layoffRate | Layoffs and discharges rate | Layoffs and discharges ÷ average headcount × 100. |
| otherRate | Other separations rate | Other separations ÷ average headcount × 100. |

## Method

Average headcount = (employees at the start + employees at the end) ÷ 2; turnover rate = employees who left ÷ average headcount × 100; by type, each rate = that type ÷ average headcount × 100.

## Assumptions

- The leavers and the two headcounts cover the same period, and the rate covers that period.
- Employees who left count everyone who left the payroll for any reason (BLS separations).
- Arithmetic is exact on the typed counts; the rates show to 2 decimals.

## Worked examples

1. start = 200, end = 220, by = total, left = 21 gives rate = 10%, average = 210, separations = 21. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm.
2. start = 200, end = 220, by = type, quits = 14, layoffs = 5, other = 2 gives rate = 10%, separations = 21, quitRate = 6.666667%, layoffRate = 2.380952%, otherRate = 0.952381%. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS Data Definitions (separations are quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations). https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jltdef.htm; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm.
3. start = 1,000, end = 1,000, by = total, left = 35 gives rate = 3.5%, average = 1,000. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, JOLTS technical note (the separations rate is separations ÷ employment × 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way). https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm.
4. start = 20, end = 30, by = total, left = 30 gives rate = 120%, average = 25.

## FAQ

### What is employee turnover?

Employee turnover is the share of your workforce that left during a period, such as a month or a year. It is usually written as a percent of the average number of employees in that period.

### How do I calculate the employee turnover rate?

Add the headcount at the start and at the end of the period and divide by 2 to get the average headcount. Then divide the number of employees who left by that average and multiply by 100. With 200 employees at the start, 220 at the end and 21 leavers, the rate is 21 ÷ 210 × 100 = 10%.

### What counts as an employee who left?

Every separation from the payroll, for any reason. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) splits separations into quits (employees who left by choice), layoffs and discharges (separations the employer started), and other separations (retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths and disability).

### What is the difference between voluntary and involuntary turnover?

Voluntary turnover is employees who chose to leave: quits. Involuntary turnover is separations the employer started: layoffs and discharges. Choose "By type" to see the quit rate and the layoffs and discharges rate separately.

### Can the turnover rate be more than 100%?

Yes. If more employees leave in the period than the average headcount, the rate is above 100%. This happens in businesses with many short or seasonal jobs, where one position can turn over several times.

### How do I work out a yearly turnover rate?

Enter the headcount at the start and at the end of the year and every employee who left during the year. The rate then covers the whole year. For a monthly rate, enter the counts for one month.

### How does the BLS measure turnover?

In its Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS), the BLS divides the separations in a month by employment and multiplies by 100. Employment is everyone on the payroll in the pay period that includes the 12th of the month.

## Sources

- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey: Technical Note": the separations rate is the number of separations divided by employment, times 100; the quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations rates are computed the same way. https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.tn.htm (retrieved 2026-10-18)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, "JOLTS Data Definitions": separations are quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations (retirements, transfers to other locations, deaths, disability). https://www.bls.gov/jlt/jltdef.htm (retrieved 2026-10-18)