See what automating it saves
The labour cost is only half the story. The [automation ROI calculator](/tools/automation-roi-calculator) shows what you get back by automating the task, on the same numbers.
Free tool
What does that manual task really cost?
The hours your team spends on a repetitive task add up to a real number. Put in the hours, the people and the rate, and see the yearly labour cost.
Your own numbers, nothing invented. The same maths whether it is data entry, invoicing or admin.
Run the numbers
Add up the cost of doing it by hand
Set the hours a week, the people on it, and the loaded hourly cost. The result updates as you go.
1
The task2
The rate3
ResultHow much time does it take?
Hours a week, across everyone who does it.
10 hrs/wk
1 hrs/wk60 hrs/wk
3 people
1 people50 people
Understand the metric
How to calculate the labour cost of a manual task
Labour cost is the wage price of the time your team spends on a task. For a repetitive job it hides in plain sight, spread across several people and every week of the year, so it rarely shows up as a single line you can act on. This calculator adds it up from your hours, your headcount and a loaded hourly rate, giving one yearly figure for what doing the work by hand actually costs.
What to include
Count every person who touches the task and the hours each spends on it in a typical week. Use a loaded hourly cost, the wage plus overhead, rather than the bare salary. The aim is the honest all-in cost of the time, not an understated one.
How to read your result
The number is the raw yearly labour cost of the task, before any automation. On its own it is a useful baseline for prioritising: the tasks carrying the highest hidden labour cost are the ones worth examining first.
The next question
Labour cost is half the picture. The other half is how much of it you could remove. Once you know the cost, the automation ROI calculator shows what automating the repetitive part would save on the same numbers.
How it is calculated
Annual labour cost = weekly hours × people × loaded hourly rate × 52
- 1Total the weekly hoursHours a week across everyone who does the task.
- 2Set the loaded hourly costA rough all-in cost per hour, wage plus overhead.
- 3AnnualiseMultiply hours by rate by 52 weeks for the yearly cost.
The build
What to do with that number
We automate the repetitive part
Most of a manual task is rules-based and automatable. We scope it, automate the grind, and keep a person on the judgement calls.
You own it
Built for your business and handed over, not a seat you rent forever.
Read next
Where this goes next
Questions
Questions
Hours a week on the task, times the number of people doing it, times the loaded hourly cost, times fifty-two weeks. Every figure is yours; nothing is assumed.
The wage plus the overhead that comes with it, not just the salary rate. A rough all-in cost per hour of the person's time is close enough here.
Because the cost of manual work hides in plain sight, spread across people and weeks. Putting one number on it is the first step to deciding whether automating it is worth it.
This one shows the raw yearly cost of doing the task by hand. The automation ROI calculator takes that and shows what automating it would save.
Want to turn that labour cost into a saving? Book a 30-min call and we will scope automating the task.
Book a 30-min call →