For example, if I want to pay a dev $100k or $125k, how much will it cost me as a company with Social Security, and payroll taxes, etc. all included?
The "cost" of an employee generally includes:
Salary paid
Payroll taxes (employer portion)
Health Insurance premium for the employee
retirement account match
State level disability insurance
Workers compensation
Other costs to manage employee record
Adding all of the above, you are looking at approx 100K + 18,650 = 118,650
I am just giving an estimate here of course. But you hopefully got the idea.
In Brazil for every 1000 you pay someone in direct wage, about extra 450 are paid to government (total burden of 1450 to pay 1000 of wage)
Of the 1000 that the "someone" received, about 100 go for your retirement savings, 275 in federal taxes, and about more 100 in other random taxes and fees.
(so yes, this mean that if you theoretically pay 1000 as salary, the person ends with 525, and you pay extra 450 to the government, that ends in total with 925! yay excessive regulation and taxing!!!!)
$1000 salary, $850 goes to the government.
When the employee receives this salary of $1000, about 20% goes to government.
In the end, the government ends up with HALF of what the employee gets paid.
This is why our economy is shitty for entrepreneurs.