Costs of Amazing Startup Benefits and Perks

Earlier this week I was talking to an entrepreneur and he exclaimed that we must be spending a fortune on the amazing benefits and perks that we offer. After pausing for a minute I thought about and realized that I didn’t know how much it cost for an individual employee for benefits and perks.

Here’s the cost for the different monthly items we pay for for each employee:

• Full individual-only health and dental benefits – $270/month
• Full short term and long term disability insurance – $20/month
• Free lunch Fridays – $30/month
• Catered daily breakfast – $60/month
• 401k with 50% match up to 6% off salary with $3,000 max – $150/month (avg across company)
• Unlimited drinks and snacks – $60/month
• Weekly Friday massages – $15/month
• Month car wash and detailing – $25/month
• Free Braves tickets (2 per season) – $5/month
• Total: $620/month direct expense of benefits and perks for the standard employee

Yes, ~$7,500 per year is a fair amount extra on top of the 10% employer tax on wages but in the grand scheme of things it’s priceless to have such a great team of people with an awesome corporate culture.

What else? What are your thoughts on the costs of amazing startup benefits and perks?