Linx Team · 01/22/2026
When finance teams model the cost of international expansion, they typically account for entity setup, legal fees, and incremental headcount. But year-one costs consistently exceed projections. The culprits are predictable but often overlooked: statutory benefits that exceed US norms, compliance infrastructure, and the operational overhead of managing a multi-country footprint.
US benefits costs typically run 20-30% of salary. In most of Europe, statutory contributions alone push total employment cost 40-60% above base salary.
The legal cost to incorporate an entity is a small fraction of true setup cost. Ongoing maintenance and the infrastructure to actually operate add up.
Running international operations requires infrastructure, expertise, and coordination that US-only companies don't need. This overhead accumulates across the organization.
Year-one expansion costs are consistently 30-50% higher than initial projections. Here's how to build a more realistic model.