{"id":13062,"date":"2026-01-14T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T07:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/?p=13062"},"modified":"2026-01-13T11:25:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T11:25:28","slug":"timesheet-program-roi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/timesheet-program-roi\/","title":{"rendered":"Timesheet Program RoI: How to Calculate &#038; Maximize Your Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the business world, every financial investment a company makes must be justified. When faced with\u2002the question of whether or not to adopt a timesheet program, the real issue isn\u2019t easily palatable at all \u2013 will it make me more than it costs?\u201d The direct answer to this question is certainly &#8220;yes,&#8221; but the real issue here is gaining a true and comprehensive understanding of what it really means to get\u2002an accurate read on your RoI.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RoI of a timesheet application extends beyond simply tracking billable time. It goes further into the territory of identifying and exposing\u2002the wide but usually hidden costs of waste that plague every organization, from small shops to Fortune 500 companies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In this post, we will take you through the standard methodology to calculate the RoI of a tool, such as DeskTrack. One step at a time. The approach: The same data-driven analysis that we use for our clients.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What Makes the Foundation of the Timesheet Program RoI<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The highest untracked expense will be idle time. It includes more than employees browsing social media. A workday\u2019s small, unproductive moments make up the total inactive hours. These can include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for approvals or information.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tab switching between tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inefficient internal processes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unproductive meetings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We analyzed an actual 31-employee business, which made us realize a 39% loss due to inactive hours. Overall, we now have our starting point for calculating RoI.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 1: Identify Your Yearly Expense of Inefficiency<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, we need to get our \u201cmoney\u201d part of the \u201ctime is money\u201d phrase here. Let\u2019s break it down into 3 simple sub-steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>A. Calculate Your Average Hourly Rate<\/b><\/h4>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It adds something more to the salary of your employees. These amounts include benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead expenses. All you have to do here is divide your total overhead costs and annual payroll by your yearly work hours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For instance, let\u2019s assume the pay rate to be $6\/hour.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h4><b>B. Identify Your Yearly Lost Time<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No of employees: 31<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Day-wise work hours per employee: 8\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total time per workday: 31 * 8 = 248 hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Idle time (%): 39%<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Day-wise lost time: 248 * 39% = 96.72 hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yearly lost time (264 working days): 96.72 * 264 = 25534 hours\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4><b>C. Determine Your Yearly Financial Expense<\/b><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yearly cost of inefficiency: 25534 hours * $6\/hour = ~$153204<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The amount might shock you, but it\u2019s real. Thankfully, you can reclaim this amount.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<h3><strong><span style=\"color: #800080;\">Read Also:<\/span> <span style=\"color: #008080;\"><a style=\"color: #008080;\" href=\"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/timesheet-management-software\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">How Timesheet Management Software Improves Work-Life Balance<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><b>Step 2: Identify The Efficiency Boost<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You won\u2019t be able to achieve zero idle time in your organization. However, you can reduce a bigger percentage of it. Using a robust timesheet program, you will get the data you need to identify the biggest productivity gaps that require filling. Moreover, your first-year goal must be to reduce 15% idle time.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yearly reclaimed hours: 25534 hours * 15% = 3,830 hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yearly cost savings: 3830 hours * $6\/hour = ~$22980<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is your \u201creturn\u201d part of RoI\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 3: Determine Your Total Investment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, we will calculate the total <\/span><b>timesheet management software<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> implementation cost.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Annual software subscription: For a 31-user plan on DeskTrack \u2018s time and <a href=\"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/productivity-monitoring-software\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>productivity tracking software<\/strong><\/a> is around ~$1112.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One-time implementation &amp; training: Let\u2019s take into account something around ~$556 for setup and team onboarding.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Total First-Year Investment: ~$1112 + ~$556 = ~$1668.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Step 4: Final RoI &amp; Payback Calculation<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, it\u2019s time for us to add up everything.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Net yearly benefit: ~$22980 (value recovered) &#8211; ~$1668 (investment) = ~$21312.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Business RoI (Net benefit \/ investment) * 100: (~$21312 \/ ~$1668) * 100 = 1176%.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The payback period is the time it takes for the investment to provide you with financial gains. Here\u2019s how to calculate it:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Payback period: (total investment \/ annual financial value recovered) * 12 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Payback period (~$1668 \/ ~$22980) * 12 months: 0.94 months.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s less than one month to balance out on the initial amount invested.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What are the Other Benefits of a Timesheet Program?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you thought the 1176% RoI was impressive enough, wait till we reveal the other ways a good timesheet application delivers value. Let\u2019s jump right into it.<\/span><b><\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improved Project Profitability: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/project-time-tracking\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Project time tracking<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> helps you identify unprofitable clients or services, which improves price adjustment.<\/span><b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Less Administrative Overhead: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Payroll and timesheet automation saves dozens of monthly hours for your HR and finance department.<\/span><b>\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>No Time Theft: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although most of your employees are honest, you can\u2019t rely on manual timesheets. On the other hand, automatic tracking recovers around 5-10% payroll expenses from inflated hours and buddy punching.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Improved Future Estimates: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having a historical database of how long tasks actually take helps you make more accurate project bids and timelines. This improves profitability and client satisfaction.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Timesheet Program: A One-Time Investment for Multiple Returns<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calculating the RoI of a timesheet program is as simple as it can get, and the results are almost always overwhelmingly optimistic. It\u2019s an investment that directly targets and eliminates your highest hidden cost: Time wastage. Plus, it returns many fold to your profits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Think of a <a href=\"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/automated-timesheets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>timesheet application<\/strong><\/a> as a high-yield investment instead of an expense: An investment in profitability, operational excellence, and efficiency.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #4B2CA3; padding: 30px 20px; text-align: center; border-radius: 6px;\">\n<h3 style=\"color: #ffffff; font-size: 34px; font-weight: bold; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 15px; line-height: 1.3;\">Ready to Calculate Your Return on <span style=\"color: #ffd400;\"> Investment?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p style=\"color: #e5ddff; font-size: 16px; text-align: center; max-width: 700px; margin: 0 auto 30px; line-height: 1.6;\">Use our free online RoI calculator to realize how much you could be saving.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a style=\"display: inline-block; background: #FFD400; color: #2a1a5e; padding: 14px 36px; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; border-radius: 30px; text-decoration: none; transition: all 0.3s ease;\" href=\"https:\/\/appdesk.timentask.com\/site\/company-sign-up-new\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Get Started Free<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><b>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><h3 id=\"faq-timesheet-program\" class=\"arconix-faq-term-title arconix-faq-term-timesheet-program\">timesheet-program<\/h3><div id=\"faq-13064\" class=\"arconix-faq-wrap\"><div id=\"faq-WhatConsistsofaWorkdaysTotalInactiveTime\" class=\"arconix-faq-title faq-closed\">What Consists of a Workday\u2019s Total Inactive Time?<\/div><div class=\"arconix-faq-content faq-closed\"><p><b>Ans. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other than social media scrolling, these things also add to your idle time.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Waiting for approvals or information.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tab switching between tasks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Inefficient internal processes.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unproductive meetings.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"faq-13066\" class=\"arconix-faq-wrap\"><div id=\"faq-HowtoCalculatetheRoIofaTimesheetProgram\" class=\"arconix-faq-title faq-closed\">How to Calculate the RoI of a Timesheet Program?<\/div><div class=\"arconix-faq-content faq-closed\"><p><b>Ans. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here\u2019s how it works in 4 simple steps.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify Your Yearly Expense of Inefficiency<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify The Efficiency Boost<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Determine Your Total Investment\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Final RoI &amp; Payback Calculation<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><div id=\"faq-13069\" class=\"arconix-faq-wrap\"><div id=\"faq-WhataretheOtherBenefitsofaTimesheetProgram\" class=\"arconix-faq-title faq-closed\">What are the Other Benefits of a Timesheet Program?<\/div><div class=\"arconix-faq-content faq-closed\"><p><b>Ans. <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other than giving you around a 400-1000% RoI boost, there are also other benefits of implementing timesheet software for businesses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improved Project Profitability<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Less Administrative Overhead<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No Time Theft<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improved Future Estimates<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n  \"mainEntity\": [{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What Consists of a Workday\u2019s Total Inactive Time?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Other than social media scrolling, these things also add to your idle time.<\/p>\n<p>Waiting for approvals or information.\nTab switching between tasks.\nInefficient internal processes.\nUnproductive meetings.\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"How to Calculate the RoI of a Timesheet Program?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Here\u2019s how it works in 4 simple steps.<\/p>\n<p>Identify Your Yearly Expense of Inefficiency\nIdentify The Efficiency Boost\nDetermine Your Total Investment \nFinal RoI & Payback Calculation\"\n    }\n  },{\n    \"@type\": \"Question\",\n    \"name\": \"What are the Other Benefits of a Timesheet Program?\",\n    \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n      \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n      \"text\": \"Other than giving you around a 400-1000% RoI boost, there are also other benefits of implementing timesheet software for businesses.  <\/p>\n<p>Improved Project Profitability\nLess Administrative Overhead\nNo Time Theft\nImproved Future Estimates\"\n    }\n  }]\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Is a timesheet program worth the cost? Learn how to calculate a timesheet application\u2019s real RoI and how it can deliver over 400%+ returns by eliminating hidden inefficiencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[380],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13062"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13077,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13062\/revisions\/13077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13062"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13062"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/desktrack.timentask.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13062"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}