Check actual available hours, skills, schedules, and service requirements before using a cost-only comparison.
Try this with your own numbersFormula and worked example
Overtime cost difference = extra hours × overtime rate − extra staff monthly cost
| Input | Example |
|---|---|
| Extra hours needed monthly | 80 |
| Overtime hourly cost | 45 |
| Monthly extra staff cost | 4,000 |
| Calculated result | -400 monthly cost difference |
Choose reliable inputs
Separate parts, technician time and bay availability for each repair order. For this auto repair calculation, use repair orders, parts invoices and technician time logs and a consistent definition of one repair order.
- Parts: include the portion belonging to this repair order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Technician time: include the portion belonging to this repair order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
- Shop overhead: include the portion belonging to this repair order or reporting period, and record where the value came from.
Use the same currency for every money input. Do not mix weekly costs with monthly revenue, or count the same expense in both an itemised cost and allocated overhead.
Does the cheaper option always have enough capacity?
Check actual available hours, skills, schedules, and service requirements before using a cost-only comparison.
Negative means overtime is cheaper on entered costs only; fatigue, coverage, and hiring costs are excluded.
What if this input changes?
If extra hours needed monthly rises by 10%, this example changes by 360 monthly cost difference. This shows the effect of one change; it does not predict what will happen.
Open the calculator, save your baseline, then change the input supported by the least reliable estimate in your records. Compare both scenarios before committing to a price or capacity promise.