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What Is Admin Really Costing My Business?

Add up the hours that go on quotes, follow-ups, scheduling, invoicing and paperwork each week, and see what that time adds up to over a year.

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Hours a week on each task

Rough is fine. Count each piece of time once. Leave blank anything you don't do.

Calls about bookings, suppliers and paperwork. If a call is about scheduling, count it under scheduling instead.

Forms, permits, safety documents and compliance.

What your time is worth

For example your charge-out rate. Leave blank for a time-only result.

Your result

Enter your figures to see your result straight away. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How it's worked out

Your weekly hours for each task are added together, then scaled up to a year and, if you enter it, valued at your hourly rate.

  1. Hours a weekThe sum of the hours for each task
  2. Hours a yearHours a week × working weeks
  3. Working days a yearHours a year ÷ hours in a workday
  4. Value of that timeHours a year × the value of an hour of your time
  5. Each hour a week savedWorking weeks × the value of an hour

Count each piece of time once. A call about a booking belongs under scheduling or calls, not both.

Worked example

An owner-operator estimates 4 hours a week on quotes, 1.5 on follow-ups, 2 on scheduling, 2 on invoicing, 1 chasing payments, 3 on admin calls, 2.5 on messages, 1.5 on paperwork, 1 on data entry and 1 with the bookkeeper. Their time is worth $95 an hour, over 48 weeks.

Worked example figures
Admin hours a week19.5
Value of an hour$95
Working weeks48
Worked example results
Hours a year936
Working days a year117
Value of that time$88,920
Biggest taskQuoting and estimating

Saving one hour a week would free up 48 hours a year, worth $4,560 at $95 an hour.

Assumptions

  • Your estimates are the only input. Rough is fine: the aim is to see where the time goes.
  • Some admin is part of running any business. The result doesn't suggest it can all disappear.
  • If you've used the phone interruption calculator, don't count the same calls again here.
  • The value of your time is only an estimate of what it could be worth elsewhere. It isn't money you've lost.

This calculator estimates time from the figures you enter. The value shown is the time's potential worth, not a guaranteed saving. It's a guide based only on the figures you enter, not financial, accounting, tax or legal advice.

FAQ

Admin Cost questions. Answered.

What counts as admin?

Anything that keeps the business running but isn't the work itself: quotes, follow-ups, scheduling, invoices, chasing payments, calls, messages, paperwork and bookkeeping.

How do I avoid double-counting?

Put each piece of time in one place only. If a call is about scheduling, count it under scheduling. If you've used the phone interruption calculator, leave those calls out here.

Should all this admin go away?

No. Some admin is essential. The point is to see which tasks take the most time, so you can decide what to simplify, share or systemise.

What value should I put on my time?

Your charge-out rate is a common choice, as it's what you could earn doing paid work. Leave it blank if you only want the hours.

Your next step

BuzzBrain Time Boost and BuzzBrain products

Quoting, scheduling and invoicing are often the biggest chunks. BuzzBrain Time Boost brings quotes, jobs, scheduling and invoicing together in one app. Free during private beta testing on iPhone and iPad.

See BuzzBrain Time Boost →

Admin covers calls, quotes, reviews and more. BuzzBrain has a separate product for each, and each works on its own. Start with whatever is costing you the most.

Choose what you need →

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