Automation Payback Calculator

Hours saved = time now − time you'll still spend. Net time value = hours saved × hourly value − incremental running cost. One-time investment = build hours × value of build time + other one-time cost; payback = investment ÷ net time value. Saved time is only money if you actually reinvest it — into billable work, more customers, or something you'd otherwise pay for. An hour you'd have spent scrolling isn't $50 back. Automations rarely remove all the time, which is why "time you'll still spend" is a required input, not an afterthought — monitoring, exceptions, and the occasional 2 a.m. fix are real. The simple time-saved figure assumes the time you'll still spend is worth about the same per hour as the manual work; if the person minding the automation is worth much more or less, adjust the hours accordingly. The value of build time is separate from the task rate on purpose — a task a $25/hr assistant does but that you build at your own higher rate should price the build at your rate, not theirs. The 12-period line is one fixed comparison point, not a year — it's only a year if your period happens to be a month. This sizes the money case only; it doesn't price the things that often matter more: fewer errors, work that scales past your own hours, and not having to do the tedious thing. If the payback is long, weigh those before you decide.