How much does a receptionist cost? About $38,000 a year in wages, $55,000 with benefits, or Sharrk from $99 a month
By Sharrk Team · October 15, 2026
A full-time receptionist costs a small business about $38,000 a year in wages (the U.S. median was $38,010 in May 2025) and about $55,000 a year once benefits and employer payroll taxes are added, for roughly 40 of the 168 hours in a week. Sharrk answers all 168 from $99 a month: its AI voice and text agents pick up every call on the first ring, reply to every new lead in under 30 seconds and book the jobs onto your calendar, day and night.
And there's no one to recruit or train. Mako, Sharrk's AI assistant, reads your website and builds your AI receptionist from plain English, shows you every step and waits for your OK.
Below: why Sharrk is the smarter hire, where the $55,000 comes from, what 24/7 coverage would cost with people, and how Sharrk compares with answering services on price.
Why Sharrk is the smarter hire
Every hour covered, every call answered
Nights, weekends, holidays, storms: Sharrk answers every call, with no overtime and no sick days. It answers many calls at the same time, so a busy morning never turns into a busy signal.
It books the job, not just the message
Sharrk asks your qualifying questions, checks real open times and books the appointment onto Sharrk's AI booking calendar, Calendly or Cal.com, or straight into ServiceTitan, then sends the confirmation. When a caller asks for a person, it transfers the live call to your team with the details already captured.
Every lead followed up in under 30 seconds
New leads from your website, Angi, Thumbtack, Networx or any webhook get a text and an AI call in under 30 seconds, and Strikes keep following up by AI call, text, email and voicemail drop until they reply or book. See how it works on our speed-to-lead page.
The front-office work, handled too
Sharrk also runs the work that fills a receptionist's day: a unified inbox, a CRM pipeline, booking pages, web forms, review requests after every Won job, and Hunts that reach back out to past leads and customers inside the calling windows you set. That's your whole front office in one place; see contractor automation.
Mako sets it up in minutes
Tell Mako "answer my calls, book appointments and text every new lead in 30 seconds" and it builds the voice agent, the follow-up and the automations. No job posting, no interviews, no training. Want a change later? Ask Mako.
Sharrk has helped clients bring in six figures in revenue, including a single $30,000+ deal.
Sharrk vs. a full-time receptionist at a glance
| Sharrk Core | Full-time receptionist (median) | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly cost | $1,188 billed monthly, or $990 billed yearly | About $55,330 with benefits and payroll taxes |
| Hours covered each week | All 168 | About 40 |
| Calls answered at once | Many | One |
| Nights, weekends and holidays | Yes | Only with more staff |
| New leads texted and called in under 30 seconds | Yes, every lead | When they're free |
| Books appointments | Yes, onto your calendar or into ServiceTitan | Yes |
| Follow-up by call, text, email and voicemail drop | Yes, with Strikes | By hand |
Sharrk Core includes 47,500 credits a month, about 316 AI call minutes if used only for calls. Busier businesses can move up to Sharrk Complete (185,000 credits a month) or top up anytime.
What is the average receptionist salary?
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median pay for receptionists at $18.27 an hour, or $38,010 a year, as of May 2025. Half of receptionists earn more and half earn less. About 947,500 people held the job in 2025.
The range is wide:
| Pay level (May 2025) | Hourly | Yearly at 2,080 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $13.83 | about $28,800 |
| Median | $18.27 | $38,010 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $24.01 | about $49,900 |
The yearly figures for the 10% rows are our math (hourly rate x 2,080 hours); BLS publishes the hourly figures.
Industry matters too. The BLS median hourly wage was $19.00 for receptionists in healthcare and social assistance, $18.56 in professional, scientific and technical services, and $16.57 in personal care services. Your local market will move the number more than anything, so check what similar businesses near you are posting.
How much does a receptionist really cost with benefits and taxes?
Wages are only part of the bill. The BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey (June 2026) found that for private-industry office and administrative support workers, wages were 68.7% of total compensation and benefits were 31.3%. Across all private-industry workers the split was 70.0% wages and 30.0% benefits.
The BLS "benefits" figure includes paid leave, insurance, retirement and legally required costs such as Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance. So to get the full cost, divide wages by the wage share:
| Item | Math | Yearly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Median wages | $18.27 x 2,080 hours | $38,010 |
| Total compensation | $38,010 / 0.687 | about $55,330 |
| Of which benefits and taxes | $55,330 - $38,010 | about $17,320 |
| Hourly, all-in | $18.27 / 0.687 | about $26.59 |
The payroll taxes alone are not optional. Employers pay 6.2% Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare, 7.65% in total, so on $38,010 that is about $2,908 a year. Federal unemployment tax (FUTA) is 6.0% on the first $7,000 of wages, or 0.6% after the maximum state credit, which is $42 per employee. State unemployment tax comes on top and varies by state.
If you are a small shop that offers no health plan or retirement match, your real number sits between the wage line and the all-in line: roughly $38,010 + $2,908 + $42 = about $40,960 before state unemployment tax, paid time off, workers' compensation and any recruiting or training time. Most employers who want to keep a good receptionist end up closer to the $55,000 figure.
Sharrk Core is $990 a year billed yearly, with no payroll taxes, benefits or recruiting on top.
How many hours does one receptionist actually cover?
A week has 168 hours. One full-time employee covers about 40 of them, or 24%. Lunch, sick days, vacation and the second phone line ringing while they are on the first all cut into that.
If you wanted a person answering every hour of every day, the math gets steep:
| Coverage goal | Hours per week | Full-time staff needed | Yearly cost at about $55,330 each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business hours only | 40 | 1 | about $55,330 |
| 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday | 72 | 1.8 | about $99,600 |
| 24 hours, 7 days | 168 | 4.2 | about $232,400 |
That 4.2 figure is 168 / 40, and it still assumes nobody takes a day off. That's why after-hours calls at most small businesses go to voicemail, and why Sharrk, which answers all 168 hours from $99 a month, wins those calls instead.
How does Sharrk compare with answering services on price?
Competitor prices come from each company's own pricing page, checked October 15, 2026, and can change.
| Option | Published price | What it includes | Yearly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sharrk Core (AI) | $99/month or $990/year | Every feature live, 47,500 credits a month (about 316 call minutes if used only for calls), 1 phone number | $990 to $1,188 |
| Sharrk Complete (AI) | $449/month or $4,490/year | Everything in Core, 185,000 credits a month and a done-for-you build by the Sharrk team every month | $4,490 to $5,388 |
| Full-time receptionist (median) | $38,010 wages | One person, about 40 hours a week | about $55,330 with benefits |
| Ruby (live virtual receptionist) | $720/month | 200 minutes a month, 24/7 live answering | $8,640 |
| Smith.ai (human-first) | $810/month | 90 calls a month, $10.50 per extra call, staffed 24/7 | $9,720 |
| Goodcall (AI) | $129/month | 500 unique callers a month | $1,548 |
| Rosie (AI) | $149/month | 1,000 minutes a month | $1,788 |
A few things worth knowing:
- Live answering services price by the minute or call. Ruby's 200-minute plan works out to $3.60 a minute, and Smith.ai's Basic plan is $9 a call before overage, so a busy month raises the bill.
- Sharrk's credits cover calls, texts, emails and voicemail drops from one monthly bank, and you can top up anytime with credit packs that last 12 months.
- Sharrk is more than an answering service. The same plan includes Strikes, Hunts, the CRM and Mako.
For a deeper look at answering-service pricing in one trade, see our breakdown of roofing answering service costs.
Sharrk and your front desk work better together
If you have a front desk, Sharrk takes the phone off its plate. Many businesses run both: a person handling walk-ins and office work during the day, and Sharrk answering overflow, nights and weekends. If you'd rather your team answers first, forward unanswered calls to your Sharrk number and the AI picks up instead of voicemail.
Sharrk pays off fastest when:
- Most calls come in while you are on a job site and nobody is at a desk anyway.
- You lose calls after hours and on weekends, the 128 hours a week one hire does not cover.
- Call volume is uneven, such as storm season or a summer rush, and a salary would sit idle in slow months.
For the practical steps, read how to answer every call without hiring a receptionist.
Sharrk pricing
Self-serve plans, no contracts, no setup fees, cancel anytime.
- Sharrk Free: $0. Build and test unlimited AI voice and text agents with Mako, plus the CRM and 2,500 one-time credits. No credit card.
- Sharrk Core: $99 a month, or $990 a year. Every feature live with 1 phone number and 47,500 credits a month. You and Mako run it.
- Sharrk Complete: $449 a month, or $4,490 a year. 185,000 credits a month plus a done-for-you build by the Sharrk team every month.
Every paid plan comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee on the first payment, minus credits used.
Put Sharrk on your phones today
Start free and Mako will build your first AI agent from your website in minutes, no card needed. Call it, hear it, and go live when you're ready. Prefer a walkthrough? Book a demo and see Sharrk on your own calls.
Running a cleaning business? Here's what an answering service for a cleaning business costs, with a quote-call script.
Running an auto shop? See what an answering service for an auto repair shop costs.
If you're comparing software instead of a hire, see how much an AI receptionist costs.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Receptionists (pay and employment, May 2025 data) (checked October 15, 2026)
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 news release (checked October 15, 2026)
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026, PDF with Table 4 by occupational group (checked October 15, 2026)
- IRS Topic 751, Social Security and Medicare withholding rates (checked October 15, 2026)
- IRS Topic 759, Form 940 and FUTA tax (checked October 15, 2026)
- Ruby pricing (checked October 15, 2026)
- Smith.ai pricing (checked October 15, 2026)
- Goodcall pricing (checked October 15, 2026)
- Rosie pricing (checked October 15, 2026)
Related on Sharrk: Sharrk's AI answering service · AI receptionist for service businesses · AI voice agents · Speed-to-lead follow-up · Contractor automation · Pricing
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to hire a receptionist for a small business?
About $55,000 a year all-in for a full-time receptionist at the median wage. BLS puts median pay at $38,010 a year ($18.27 an hour, May 2025), and wages are 68.7% of total compensation for private-industry office and administrative support workers, so $38,010 / 0.687 is about $55,330. Sharrk answers every call 24/7 from $99 a month, or $990 a year billed yearly.
What is the hourly rate for a receptionist?
The median is $18.27 an hour (BLS, May 2025). The lowest 10% earned less than $13.83 and the highest 10% more than $24.01. With benefits and payroll taxes, the median all-in cost is about $26.59 per hour worked.
What payroll taxes does an employer pay on a receptionist?
At minimum 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare (6.2% + 1.45%), plus federal unemployment tax of 0.6% on the first $7,000 after the maximum state credit, plus state unemployment tax. On $38,010 in wages, the Social Security and Medicare share is about $2,908 a year.
How many receptionists would it take to answer the phone 24/7?
About 4.2 full-time people, because a week has 168 hours and one full-time employee covers about 40. At about $55,330 each, that is roughly $232,000 a year before time off is covered. Sharrk answers all 168 hours from $99 a month.
Is an answering service cheaper than a receptionist?
Yes. Sharrk answers every call 24/7 from $99 a month, or $990 a year billed yearly, compared with about $55,330 a year all-in for a full-time receptionist at the median wage. Published live answering plans checked October 15, 2026 run $720 to $810 a month.
What's the best alternative to hiring a receptionist?
Sharrk. Its AI voice and text agents answer every call 24/7, reply to every new lead in under 30 seconds, book the jobs onto your calendar or into ServiceTitan, and transfer the live call to your team when someone asks for a person. Mako, Sharrk's AI assistant, builds it all from plain English, and you can start free with no card.