Automation time savings calculator
To work out what a manual task costs, multiply the minutes it takes by how often it happens each week and by the number of people who do it, then convert to hours a year. A 15-minute task done 20 times a week by one person uses 240 hours a year, or 30 working days. Enter your own task below to see its hours and, if you add an hourly rate, its yearly staff cost.
I am Jason Aldemita, AI automation specialist. When you have a number, send it to me with the button under the results and I will tell you whether that task is worth automating.
Calculate one task
How the calculation works
The calculator uses four inputs and one assumption. Nothing is estimated for you: every number comes from what you enter.
| Input | What to enter | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Minutes each time | How long the task takes from start to finish, once | Include switching between apps and checking your work |
| Times per week | How often the task happens across the week | For a daily task, enter 5 for weekdays |
| People doing it | How many people each do this task at that rate | Use 1 if one person handles all of it |
| Hourly cost | What an hour of that person’s time costs you, in USD | Optional. Leave blank to see hours only |
Hours a week is minutes, times per week and people multiplied together, divided by 60. Hours a year multiplies that by 48 working weeks. Working days divides the yearly hours by 8.
Worked examples
Three common tasks, calculated with the same method. These are illustrations, not results from a client.
| Example task | Minutes | Per week | People | Hours a year | Working days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Copying new leads into a CRM | 3 | 60 | 1 | 144 | 18 |
| Building the weekly report by hand | 120 | 1 | 1 | 96 | 12 |
| Checking orders against invoices | 10 | 40 | 2 | 640 | 80 |
Turning the number into a decision
A yearly figure makes the decision concrete. If a task uses 240 hours a year and an hour of that person’s time costs $25, the task costs $6,000 a year in staff time. My Automation Starter is a fixed $750, so the comparison is usually straightforward. The harder question is which task to start with, and the answer is normally the one that is frequent, follows clear rules and lives in tools that can be connected.
The AI automation services page explains how I decide what to automate first. Overseas teams can read about rates and time zones on the page about hiring a Philippine automation specialist remotely, or simply send a project brief.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the time a manual task costs?
Multiply the minutes the task takes by the number of times it happens each week and by the number of people who do it. Divide by 60 to get hours a week, then multiply by 48 working weeks to get hours a year. Multiply by an hourly staff cost to turn that into money.
How much of a manual task can automation remove?
It depends on the task. Steps that follow fixed rules, like copying data or sending a standard follow-up, can usually be removed completely. Steps that need judgment often keep a short human review, so some time stays. Working that out for your specific task is part of the scoping call.
Is it worth automating a task that only takes a few minutes?
Often, yes. A five-minute task done 20 times a week by one person adds up to 80 hours a year. Small, frequent tasks are usually the best first automations because the rules are simple and the time adds up quickly.
Why does the calculator use 48 weeks instead of 52?
Forty-eight weeks allows for holidays and leave, so the yearly figure reflects the weeks a task actually gets done rather than every calendar week.