India GCC Cost Model 2026: Fully Loaded Per Full Time Equivalent

The eight cost lines

A clean model has exactly eight lines per Full Time Equivalent per year.

• Gross compensation (fixed plus variable).
• Statutory employer cost (Provident Fund, Employee State Insurance, Gratuity, Professional Tax): 13 to 16 percent of gross.
• Benefits (group health, life, accident, gratuity provision, wellness): 4 to 6 percent.
• Real estate (seat cost, fit out amortised): USD 1,800 to 3,500 per Full Time Equivalent per year by city.
• Information Technology (laptop, software, telecom, collaboration tools): USD 1,200 to 2,500 per Full Time Equivalent per year.
• Security and compliance (Security Operations Centre share, audits, Digital Personal Data Protection Act compliance): USD 600 to 1,200.
• Shared services overhead (Human Resources, Finance, Travel, Admin): 6 to 9 percent of gross compensation.
• Operating overhead (training, recreation, recruitment amortised): USD 1,500 to 2,500.

Typical fully loaded outputs

• Junior Software Engineer in Pune: USD 25,000 to 36,000 fully loaded per year.
• Senior Software Engineer in Bangalore: USD 70,000 to 105,000 fully loaded per year.
• Chartered Accountant Manager in Pune: USD 38,000 to 60,000 fully loaded per year.
• Senior Machine Learning Engineer in Bangalore: USD 95,000 to 145,000 fully loaded per year.

Where models go wrong

Two recurring mistakes: forgetting the 22 to 28 percent loading on top of gross, and ignoring the real estate plus Information Technology fixed cost wedge at low headcount. Both make the case look better than reality.