ROI Calculator
How much would automation save you?
Plug in four numbers. We'll model the annual savings, payback period, and 5-year upside of automating a repetitive task.
Your inputs
Number of employees performing the manual task.
Only count hours you truly expect to eliminate per employee each week.
Include benefits. Typically 1.3–1.5× base salary.
One-time investment to build and roll out the automation.
Payback timeline
Running net value month-by-month. Line crosses $0 at break-even.
Cumulative savings (5 years)
Assumes the same weekly hours saved each year.
Pressure-test these numbers with us.
We'll validate your assumptions, confirm edge cases, and sketch a concrete build plan — no commitment required.
Book an ROI reviewDisclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate based on labor hours saved. Actual results may vary based on process complexity, exceptions, and adoption. It does not include error reduction, faster cycle times, or revenue impact.
Methodology
How the automation ROI math works.
The model is the same one we run in scoping calls: hours saved per week × fully loaded hourly rate × 52 gives the annual labor value of the task. Divide the one-time build cost by the monthly savings and you have the payback period. Five-year savings compound from there, net of ongoing platform run cost.
It deliberately excludes the harder-to-price upside — fewer errors, faster cash cycles, headcount avoidance — so the number you see is the conservative floor, not a sales projection. Our case studies publish the real before/after numbers this model predicted.
For build costs, start from our transparent pricing ($2,500+ fixed-fee, $150/hour) or browse the automation catalogue for pre-scoped estimates per workflow. The financial framing CFOs want to see — NPV, redeployment value, risk adjustments — is covered in our CFO's guide to automation ROI.
Questions
Automation ROI, answered.
- How is automation ROI calculated?
- Annual savings = hours saved per week × fully loaded hourly rate × 52. Payback period = one-time build cost ÷ monthly savings. The calculator also compounds a modest error-reduction benefit, but labor time is the driver — if the labor math alone doesn't work, we'll tell you not to automate it.
- What is a "fully loaded" hourly rate?
- Base wage plus benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead — typically 1.25–1.4× the base hourly wage. Using base salary alone understates what manual work actually costs your business.
- What does a typical automation project cost?
- Fixed-fee builds start at $2,500 for a single workflow. A typical first engagement lands between $7,000 and $20,000 at our $150/hour build rate, scoped and quoted in writing before any work starts.
- How fast do automation projects actually pay back?
- Most of our clients see payback in 1–3 months on labor savings alone. Compliance-heavy builds (healthcare, financial services) run longer — 90 to 180 days — but on a much larger absolute base. Our case studies publish the real payback numbers per project.
- Which tasks should I run through the calculator first?
- Repetitive, rule-based, high-volume work currently done by expensive people: data re-entry between systems, lead routing, invoice generation, report building, and approval chasing. If a task follows the same steps every time, it's a candidate.