In-house hire or remote seat: what each costs
Pick a role and a region. We fill in the government’s median pay and the typical cost of benefits and payroll taxes. Change any number to match your firm.
Hiring a bilingual intake specialist in-house, per month
compared with an LSP seat at $2,495 per month
- Pay
- $4,631
- Benefits and payroll taxes
- $1,985
- Office, equipment, software
- $0
- Estimated monthly difference
- $4,120
$49,446 a year, before recruiting and turnover costs
Estimates only. The comparison leaves out recruiting, training and turnover costs on the in-house side, and the time your firm spends supervising either way. An in-house hire also works in your office, on your payroll, which some roles need.
Where the numbers come from
| Occupation (BLS code) | United States median | California median | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paralegals and legal assistants (23-2011) | $62,890 | $77,390 | Case manager*, Paralegal |
| Legal secretaries and administrative assistants (43-6012) | $55,570 | $62,860 | Bilingual intake specialist*, Legal assistant |
| Receptionists and information clerks (43-4171) | $38,010 | $44,100 | Legal receptionist |
Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025 data (via O*NET OnLine). Benefits: BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, private industry, June 2026: wages and salaries were 70.0% of employer costs; benefits 30.0% (BLS, The Economics Daily). *BLS has no separate category for intake specialists or case managers, so the closest occupation is used. LSP prices: pricing page. Formula: monthly in-house cost = annual pay × (1 + benefits %) ÷ 12 + monthly office cost.
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