← All resources

Free tool

Person-month and budget planner

Build the effort table first, the euros second. Enter person-months and monthly personnel rates per partner and see direct costs, the flat 25% indirect costs and the EU contribution. Everything is calculated in your browser.

Personnel
€144,000
Indirect (25%)
€41,000
Total cost
€205,000
EU contribution (100%)
€205,000
Personnel
€99,000
Indirect (25%)
€28,500
Total cost
€152,500
EU contribution (100%)
€152,500
Personnel
€60,000
Indirect (25%)
€17,500
Total cost
€87,500
EU contribution (100%)
€87,500

Consortium totals

Total person-months
54
Total project cost
€445,000
Requested EU contribution
€445,000

Across 36 months this effort implies about 1.5 full-time people working on the project continuously. If those people do not exist, the effort table is fiction and evaluators will see it.

How this is calculated

  • Personnel = person-months × monthly rate. Use your real average monthly cost per researcher, including employer charges.
  • Indirect costs = 25% of direct costs, excluding subcontracting — the standard Horizon Europe flat rate.
  • Funding rate = 100% for Research and Innovation Actions and CSAs; 70% for profit-making entities in Innovation Actions. Always confirm against the call conditions.
  • This is a planning estimate, not an official budget. The Portal forms remain the authoritative version.

The cost categories and common mistakes are explained in our Horizon Europe budget guide.

Get new guides and call updates

One short email when we publish a new guide, template, or when a major EU call opens. No spam, unsubscribe any time.

We store your email to send these updates only. See our privacy policy.