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Free AI calculator
How much money can AI save my business?
Enter your team size, admin hours and pay to see a range for the staff time AI could save you each year.
Updated 30 October 2026
How is this worked out?
It multiplies your staff by their weekly admin hours, takes the share of that admin AI tools can handle, and prices the hours at your pay (or the UK median of £19.67 an hour) plus about 18% for employer National Insurance and pension, over 46 working weeks.
| Sector | Exposure to AI |
|---|---|
| Accountancy, bookkeeping or financial advice | Higher (+15%) |
| Legal services | Higher (+15%) |
| Property, lettings or estate agency | Higher (+10%) |
| Recruitment or HR services | Higher (+10%) |
| Marketing, design or media | Higher (+10%) |
| IT, software or digital services | Higher (+15%) |
| Consulting or professional services | Higher (+15%) |
| Clinics, dental or health services | Lower (−5%) |
| Retail or online shop | Average |
| Education, training or charity | Average |
| Hospitality, food or leisure | Lower (−20%) |
| Trades, construction or field services | Lower (−20%) |
| Manufacturing or logistics | Lower (−15%) |
| Something else | Average |
The share of admin AI can take starts at 30% to 55%, our working range for routine office work, and moves with your sector's exposure in the Department for Education's ranking. It never goes above 65%, inside McKinsey's technical ceiling.
Where do the numbers come from?
- ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional): median full-time pay £19.67 an hour
- McKinsey Global Institute, The economic potential of generative AI (2023): activities taking 60 to 70% of working time are technically automatable
- IPPR, Transformed by AI (2024): 11% of UK tasks exposed today, 59% with deeper adoption; routine admin first
- Department for Education, The impact of AI on UK jobs and training (2023): which occupations and sectors are most exposed
Every result is an estimate and a range. It shows the headline and the main points; the full breakdown for your business comes with a free AI audit.
Questions people ask
How much can AI save a small business?
For a firm of five to twenty people, this calculator usually shows a range in the tens of thousands of pounds a year in staff time, most of it from admin: emails, bookings, quotes and invoices. The exact figure depends on how much admin your people do and what you pay them.
Does saving money with AI mean cutting staff?
Rarely, for small firms. Most keep the same people and use the freed hours to answer more enquiries, quote faster and chase fewer late payments. IPPR's best case, where firms use AI to help staff rather than replace them, loses no jobs and grows output.
How accurate is the estimate?
It is a range, not a quote. It rests on public figures (ONS pay data, the Department for Education's sector exposure ranking) and our working share of admin that AI can take. A free AI audit replaces those averages with your own tasks.
What does it cost to get these savings?
Most small firms start with a few AI tools at tens of pounds a month each, plus set-up time. The free AI audit prices the tools against the saving, so you can see the payback before spending anything.