Free calculator · Updated 03/10/2026

How much could AI save your business?

Enter the hours your team spends on repetitive admin and what an hour costs you. The calculator shows the yearly AUD value of the time AI could hand back, the payback on a $497 build, and the first agent we would build for your kind of business. Every assumption is on screen and adjustable.

Your inputs

Industry

Drives the recommended first build.

Staff doing repetitive admin

Roughly how many people touch the work AI would take over.

Total admin hours / week (across that team)

15 hrs

Replies, follow-ups, scheduling, data entry, drafting, categorising. The repetitive work, not strategy or relationships.

Share of those hours AI takes over (your assumption)

A person still checks the work. Use 60–80% for narrow, structured jobs and 10–30% for judgement-heavy ones.

Loaded hourly cost (AUD)

All-in cost: wage + 12% super + on-costs. Owner time = what your hour earns elsewhere, not your wage.

Your estimate

$24,150

AUD of time handed back per year, before costs

Hours handed back / year 483
Hours handed back / week 10.5
Payback on a $497 Quick Start Under 1 week
Full-time equivalent (38 hrs) 0.28

Where we would usually start

AI Inventory Watch

$497 setup + $99/month (AUD, ex GST)

A daily Shopify stock and listings check, a smaller version of the system we run for Hey Bud Skincare, our own brand.

See the build for your industry Read the service brief

Prefer to talk first? Book a free AI audit: a 30-minute video call with Jenn that replaces this estimate with fixed AUD prices.

Show my maths

15 hrs/wk × 70% taken over × $50/hr = $525/wk
$525/wk × 46 working weeks = $24,150 a year, before costs
Quick Start ($497) ÷ $525/wk = 1 week(s) to recover the build fee

The short answer

How much can AI save a small business in Australia?

A business with 15 hours a week of repetitive admin, at a loaded $50 an hour, gets back about $24,150 of staff time a year if AI takes over 70% of those hours, and a $497 automation pays for itself in about a week of that saving. That is an estimate from the calculator's defaults, not a measured result; change any input above to match your business.

Admin hours a week	At $35/hr	At $50/hr	At $70/hr
5 hours	$5,635	$8,050	$11,270
15 hours	$16,905	$24,150	$33,810
30 hours	$33,810	$48,300	$67,620

Yearly value of time handed back, before costs, assuming AI takes over 70% of the hours across 46 working weeks.

What it costs to get there, at On Autopilot's published prices (AUD, ex GST): a single automation built and handed over is $497 one-off (Quick Start). The six AI packages run from $497 setup + $99/month (AI Inventory Watch) to $2,000 setup + $499/month (AI Lead Engine), and managed AI, where we run and extend your agents for you, starts from $1,500/month. See the pricing page, and the 2026 AI Cost Index for the same maths netted out across 12 workflows.

Assumptions: 46 working weeks a year (after leave and public holidays), your chosen share of hours, and your loaded hourly cost. It counts staff time only, not extra revenue from answering every enquiry. A person still checks the AI's work. On Autopilot is a Melbourne-based AI consultancy; this calculator is ours.

Calculator FAQ

Questions about the maths

How does the AI savings estimator work?

It multiplies the weekly hours of repetitive admin you enter by the share AI takes over (your setting, 70% by default), by 46 working weeks and by your loaded hourly cost. That is the gross yearly value of the time handed back. The payback line divides On Autopilot's $497 Quick Start fee by the weekly saving.

Is the 70% default realistic?

It is an assumption, not a measured figure, so you can change it. Narrow, structured work (sorting email, chasing invoices, data entry) suits a high share; anything needing judgement or relationships suits a low one, often 10 to 30%. A person still checks the AI's work, which is why the default is not 100%.

Does this estimate include the build cost?

The headline is gross: before any build or running cost. The payback line uses the $497 Quick Start fee. For one of the six AI packages, subtract its price: for example AI Front Desk is $1,500 setup plus $199 a month (AUD, ex GST). Our AI Cost Index shows that netting out across 12 workflows.

What hourly cost should I use?

Use the fully loaded cost of whoever does the work now: wage plus 12% super plus on-costs such as WorkCover, equipment and leave (we use 28% on top of wages). From 1 July 2026 the Clerks Award Level 1 rate is $26.97 an hour, about $35 loaded. If you do the work yourself, use what your time earns elsewhere, not your wage.

How accurate is this for my business?

It is a ballpark, not a quote. Real numbers depend on which jobs get automated, how clean your data is and how much checking the work needs. A free AI audit (a 30-minute video call) replaces the estimate with fixed AUD prices for your actual workflows.

Turn this estimate into a fixed price

Book a free AI audit: a 30-minute video call with Jenn. She maps where your team's time actually goes, names the first one to three systems worth building and gives you fixed AUD prices. We reply personally within one business day (Melbourne time) to book it. No obligation.