Most small business owners start pricing out a receptionist by looking at a salary range online. That number feels manageable, until the first payroll run reveals payroll tax, benefits, software, and training costs sitting on top of it. The real cost of a receptionist is almost always higher than the figure in the job posting, and knowing the full picture before you hire is the difference between a smart staffing decision and a budget surprise three months in.

This guide walks through every cost that stacks on top of salary, compares hiring against part-time staff and AI-powered alternatives, and shows where missed calls quietly drain revenue that never shows up on a spreadsheet. By the end, you'll have real numbers to work with instead of a guess.

Why the Advertised Salary Isn't the Real Cost of a Receptionist

A job posting shows one number. Your actual monthly spend is a different story entirely.

Salary typically covers only 55% to 70% of what a full-time employee costs a business. The rest comes from payroll taxes, benefits, paid time off, equipment, and the training time needed before a new hire is fully productive.

What the Government Data Actually Shows

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median hourly wage for receptionists was $17.90 in May 2024. That works out to roughly $37,200 a year for a full-time role, with the lowest 10% earning under $13.60 an hour and the highest 10% earning over $23.

Those figures only cover wages. They don't include a single dollar of the payroll burden or overhead that a business actually pays to keep that seat filled.

Breaking Down the Monthly Cost of a Receptionist

Here's what the math looks like once every line item is added back in. Say you hire a receptionist at $38,000 a year, close to the national median.

Base Salary and Payroll Burden

At $38,000 annually, gross pay runs about $3,167 a month. Employer-side payroll taxes typically add another 7.5% to 10%, depending on your state, pushing the monthly total to roughly $3,400 to $3,500 before benefits even enter the picture.

Benefits, Insurance, and Paid Time Off

A modest employer health insurance contribution adds $300 to $600 a month per employee. Ten to fifteen paid days off a year means you're paying full salary on days when no work gets done, which averages out to roughly one extra "invisible" month of salary spread across the year.

Training and Ramp-Up Time

New hires rarely reach full productivity in week one. Most businesses spend two to four weeks training someone on phone systems, scheduling software, and internal procedures, and during that stretch you're paying full wages for partial output.

Software, Equipment, and Desk Space

A functioning front desk needs a phone system, a scheduling tool, and often a CRM license, which typically runs $50 to $200 a month per seat. Add a computer, monitor, and desk space, and the setup cost alone can run into the low thousands before the first shift even starts.

Add it all up, and a receptionist earning $38,000 a year can realistically cost a small business $4,200 to $5,000 a month once every expense lands on the books. That's the number that matters far more than the base salary quoted in a job ad.

Receptionist Cost Comparison: Full-Time vs Part-Time vs AI

Not every business needs a full-time person at the front desk. Here's how the main staffing options stack up against each other.

Full-Time In-House Receptionist

Best suited to businesses with steady, high call volume and a genuine need for in-person greeting. Fully loaded monthly cost typically runs $4,000 to $5,500, and receptionist roles carry higher turnover than most administrative positions, which adds recurring rehiring costs over time.

Part-Time or Shared Receptionist

A part-time hire cuts wage costs roughly in half, but payroll tax and training overhead scale down less proportionally. The bigger issue is coverage. If someone works 20 hours a week, every call outside that window has nowhere to go unless there's a backup plan in place.

Traditional Live Answering Services

Per-minute or per-call answering services typically run $300 to $1,500 a month depending on volume. Quality varies widely, and callers often notice quickly that they've reached a third party who doesn't actually know the business.

AI Receptionist Services

This is where the receptionist salary vs AI receptionist comparison gets interesting for cost-conscious owners. AI-powered phone systems answer calls around the clock, book appointments, and route urgent inquiries, usually for a flat monthly fee well below even a part-time employee's fully loaded cost, with no sick days, no training ramp-up, and no coverage gaps.

For a closer look at how different industries are putting this kind of coverage to work, this rundown of common use cases is worth a look before deciding which model fits your call volume.

The Missed-Call Risk Nobody Budgets For

There's a cost that never makes it into a hiring spreadsheet: the price of a call that simply doesn't get answered.

When a receptionist is at lunch, out sick, or juggling two calls at once, the third caller hits voicemail. A large share of those callers hang up and dial a competitor instead of leaving a message, and that lost business never shows up as a line item anywhere.

This breakdown of what a missed call actually costs a business puts real numbers behind what most owners only sense intuitively. It's worth pairing that with an honest look at how many calls slip through the cracks in a typical week, since most businesses that haven't tracked it are surprised by the total.

How to Reduce Admin Costs Without Cutting Service Quality

The goal isn't to strip out front-desk support. It's making sure every dollar spent on it is actually earning its keep.

Audit Your Current Coverage Gaps

Track when calls go unanswered over a two-week stretch. Lunch hours, early mornings, and after-hours windows are the most common blind spots for a single in-house receptionist.

Compare the Full Cost of Hiring a Receptionist Against Alternatives

Before committing to another full-time hire, run the numbers on part-time staff, live answering services, and AI-based call handling side by side. Once coverage hours per dollar spent are factored in rather than just the sticker price, the comparison often looks very different.

Layer Coverage Instead of Relying on One Person

Many growing businesses use a hybrid setup: a receptionist for daytime, in-person work, backed by automated coverage for after-hours and overflow calls. This keeps monthly costs predictable while closing the gaps that cause missed opportunities.

Current pricing for flat-rate AI coverage is worth comparing directly against what a traditional hire costs once payroll burden and missed-call risk are both on the table.

Making the Right Call for Your Business

There's no single right answer here, since it depends on call volume, industry, and how much of the role is truly about a person at a desk versus someone answering the phone and booking appointments. What is consistent is that the cost of a receptionist almost always runs well past the advertised salary once payroll burden, benefits, training, and missed-call risk are added in.

For many small businesses, the smartest path is a hybrid model that keeps a human touch where it matters most while automating the hours and overflow a single employee can't physically cover. If you want to overcome the burden of having tons of missed calls on your business, you can sign up at InStack to solve that problem.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the average cost of a receptionist per month?

A fully loaded, full-time receptionist typically costs a small business $4,000 to $5,500 a month once salary, payroll taxes, benefits, training, and software are included, even though the base salary alone might only work out to $3,000 to $3,500 a month.

2. How much does it cost to hire a receptionist compared to using an answering service?

Hiring involves ongoing payroll costs, benefits, and turnover risk, while a traditional answering service typically runs $300 to $1,500 a month based on call volume. AI-based options often cost less than either while covering more hours.

3. Is an AI receptionist cheaper than a human receptionist?

In most cases, yes. An AI receptionist removes payroll taxes, benefits, sick leave, and training costs, and it can answer calls around the clock rather than during a single shift, which tends to tilt the math in its favor for routine call handling.

4. How many calls does a typical small business miss each week?

This varies by industry and volume, but businesses that haven't tracked it are usually surprised by the number. Lunch breaks, after-hours periods, and peak call times are the most common gaps, and even a dedicated receptionist can't answer two lines at once.

5. What's the biggest hidden cost of hiring a receptionist?

Beyond payroll burden, it's usually missed-call risk. When a receptionist is unavailable, whether from lunch, sick leave, or handling another caller, people who reach voicemail frequently move on to a competitor rather than leave a message.

6. Can a small business reduce admin costs without losing responsiveness?

Yes. Many businesses pair human staff for in-person and high-value interactions with automated call handling for overflow, after-hours, and routine bookings, which keeps costs predictable while closing coverage gaps.