Free tool
Office space calculator
Enter your headcount and work style to see how many square feet your team needs.
When to start your search
- Aquila Commercial, When should I renew my office lease (or look to relocate) prior to my lease expiration? (30 May 2018)
- JLL, Renew or relocate? 7 tips for navigating your office lease expiration (8 May 2025)
- Colliers, The ideal timeline for market exploration before your lease ends (28 Apr 2026)
Estimate, not advice.
Have a broker check this
How the estimate works
| Work style | Low (SF per person) | High (SF per person) |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned desks and offices | 164average space per seat today.JLL, Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 (June 2025) | 180standard for general office space, per person.U.S. General Services Administration, Enhanced Utilization Rate for Greater Occupancy (November 2024) |
| Open plan, a desk for everyone | 151target space per seat.JLL, Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 (June 2025) | 164average space per seat today.JLL, Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 (June 2025) |
| Hybrid, shared desks | 108per person, with 2 days a week at home.U.S. General Services Administration, Enhanced Utilization Rate for Greater Occupancy (November 2024) | 132target space per person.JLL, Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 (June 2025) |
We matched each work style to these figures. The sources do not use these work-style names.
The GSA figures are usable square feet: the space your team uses. JLL does not say if its figures are usable or rentable. Landlords quote rentable square feet, which adds a share of the lobbies and halls. Ask your broker for the building's load factor.
Growth is added to your headcount before the ratio. People are rounded up to a whole person. Results are rounded to the nearest 100 SF.
Sources checked on 13 Oct 2026.
When to start your search
More than 25,000 SF
Start 18 to 24 months before the lease ends.
10,000 to 25,000 SF
Start 12 months before the lease ends.
Less than 10,000 SF
Start 6 to 12 months before the lease ends.
Questions
How many people can sit in a 500 sq ft office?
With assigned desks, 2 to 3 people at 164 to 180 SF per person. With hybrid shared desks, 3 to 4 people at 108 to 132 SF per person. The ratios come from JLL and the U.S. General Services Administration.
How many square feet do 20 people need?
Assigned desks and offices: 3,300 to 3,600 SF. Open plan, a desk for everyone: 3,000 to 3,300 SF. Hybrid, shared desks: 2,200 to 2,600 SF. Results are rounded to the nearest 100.
How much should a company spend on office space?
Multiply the size you need by your rent per SF per year. Divide by 12 for the monthly cost. Rents differ a lot from one market to the next, so ask a broker for the asking rents in your market.
When should I start looking for new office space?
It depends on the size you need. More than 25,000 SF: start 18 to 24 months before the lease ends. 10,000 to 25,000 SF: start 12 months before the lease ends. Less than 10,000 SF: start 6 to 12 months before the lease ends. The size tiers come from Aquila Commercial. JLL also advises 18 to 24 months for larger offices, and Colliers advises no later than 12 months.
Are these usable or rentable square feet?
The GSA figures are usable square feet: the space your team uses. JLL does not say if its figures are usable or rentable. Landlords quote rentable square feet, which adds a share of the lobbies and halls. Ask your broker for the building's load factor to convert one to the other.
Estimate, not advice.
For a real search, have a broker check these numbers.