TOOLBOX

Manual Work Cost Calculator

What is this manual task really costing you?

To cost manual work, multiply the weekly hours × number of people × loaded hourly cost × 52 weeks. A task that eats 8 hours a week at a $30 loaded cost quietly costs about $12,480 a year. Enter your numbers below to see the annual, monthly, and multi-year cost.

Annual cost
the headline number
Per month
average
Over 5 years
cumulative
Full-time equivalent
of a 2,080-hr year

The math, in one line

That number is the budget for automating it

If a task costs this much every year, automating it often pays back fast. Exbots runs free automation assessments to tell you if it's worth it.

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How the cost is calculated

The calculator turns time into money in four steps. Total weekly hours = hours per person × people. Weekly cost = total weekly hours × loaded hourly cost. Annual cost = weekly cost × working weeks. And the full-time equivalent divides total annual hours by 2,080 (a standard full-time year) to show how much headcount the task quietly consumes.

A worked example

Two people each spend 8 hours a week reconciling spreadsheets, at a $32 loaded hourly cost, over 52 weeks.

Total weekly hours (8 × 2)16
Weekly cost (× $32)$512
Annual cost (× 52)$26,624
Full-time equivalent≈ 0.4 FTE

Frequently asked questions

How do you calculate the cost of manual work?
Multiply weekly hours by the number of people to get total weekly hours, multiply by the loaded hourly cost for weekly cost, then multiply by 52 for the annual cost.
What is a loaded hourly cost?
A loaded (fully-burdened) hourly cost is an employee's total cost per hour — base pay plus benefits, taxes, equipment, and overhead. It's typically 1.25–1.4× the base wage.
How many working hours are in a year?
A full-time equivalent is usually ~2,080 hours per year (40 hours × 52 weeks), before holidays and leave.

This calculator gives a directional estimate based on the inputs you provide. It is not financial advice.