AI automation ROI calculator

See what one workflow could return.

Start with the hours your business spends today. Then account for adoption, implementation, software, maintenance, quality, and revenue to get a more useful estimate.

Calculate ROI See the math

No sign-up. No data leaves your browser. Results are estimates, not guaranteed savings.

Your assumptions

Model one workflow.

Start with an example

Current workload

Use weekly hours for quick math or task volume for a more detailed estimate.

Workflow name

People doing this workHours each person spendsLoaded hourly costWage plus benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead.Working weeks per year

Estimated return

Customer follow-up

First-year net value-$1,735

After upfront and first-year operating costs.

Time returned122 hoursper year, after realization

Capacity value$6,125per year

First-year ROI-24%

Estimated payback19 months

Annual value

Released capacity: $6,125
Quality and rework: $0
Gross profit contribution: $0
Gross annual benefit: $6,125

Cost

Upfront investment: $4,350
Annual operating cost: $3,000

What this means

Year one does not fully recover the investment, but the workflow produces positive value after ongoing costs. A smaller first release may shorten payback.

Three-year view

Net value by scenario

Conservative: -$3,202
Expected: $4,515
Strong: $9,249

Expected three-year NPV at a 10% discount rate: $2,957

Validate this workflow

Runs in your browser. No calculator data is submitted or stored.

Methodology

Simple math, with the missing costs added back in.

Basic ROI starts with hours spent, the loaded value of an hour, and the share of work automation can remove. This model also discounts time that cannot be put to use and includes rollout and operating costs.

Current effort

People × hours per week × working weeks, or task volume × minutes per task.

Realized value

Current effort × automation coverage × usable capacity × loaded hourly cost.

Total cost

Build + internal setup + change management + software + support + maintenance.

Return

Benefits minus costs. Payback tracks when cumulative monthly value recovers upfront investment.

Why “capacity value” is not always cash savings

Released time becomes financial value only when your business uses it for more output, better service, lower overtime, or avoided hiring. That is why the calculator includes a realization rate instead of valuing every saved hour at 100%.

How defaults were chosen

The $50 loaded hourly cost is a rounded starting point near current U.S. private-industry compensation. Change management starts at 10% of implementation, and three-year NPV uses a 10% annual discount rate. Replace every default with your own numbers when possible.

Reference points

This calculator provides directional planning support. It does not provide financial, tax, or accounting advice.

Next step

Test the estimate against the actual workflow.

Share the bottleneck, current tools, and expected outcome. We will help identify assumptions that need validation before you invest.

Start the workflow intake