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The Topshelf Solution™ · RUN · Downtime Cost Calculator

What Would An Hour of Downtime
Actually Cost You?

Most small business owners have never actually run this math. A server crash, an internet outage, a ransomware lockout: every hour it drags on is quietly burning payroll and revenue at the same time. Plug in your own numbers below and see the real figure, not an industry average.

$5,600 estimated average cost of IT downtime per minute across organizations of all sizes: the mechanism scales down, but it never hits zero. Source: Gartner
40% of small businesses forced to close for even a day by a disaster never reopen at all. Source: FEMA
98% of organizations say a single hour of downtime costs over $100,000: a figure skewed by large enterprises, which is exactly why you need your own number. Source: ITIC, Hourly Cost of Downtime Survey
⏱ Takes about 2 minutes 🧮 Built from your real numbers 📄 Downloadable PDF breakdown 🔒 No sales call required
Step 1 of 3: Your Numbers
1 of 3

Tell us about your business

Every field below is editable. Pick your employee count first: it prefills the wage and headcount fields with sensible starting points so you're not staring at a blank form.

Downtime hits every business differently: this shapes your recommendations below, not the math itself.
Please select your industry.
Prefills the fields below with reasonable starting numbers for a business your size.
Please select your employee count.
Wages plus payroll taxes, benefits, and overhead: not just take-home pay. Usually 25–40% above base wage.
Enter a valid hourly cost.
Who's actually stuck when the server or internet drops: not just who notices. Most owners guess low the first time.
Enter how many employees are typically affected.
Count from the moment work stops to the moment it's fully restored: not just the time spent on the actual fix.
Enter estimated hours per incident.
Include every crash, outage, dead workstation, or lockout that stopped work: not only the dramatic ones.
Enter estimated incidents per year.
This doesn't change the math below: it changes what we recommend on the results screen.
Please select an option.
Step 2 of 3: Your Info
2 of 3
Numbers crunched · Estimate ready

Your downtime cost estimate is ready.

Tell us where to send it. You'll see the full breakdown on the next screen and can download a branded PDF to share with a partner, a co-owner, or your accountant.

Please enter your first name.
Please enter your last name.
Please enter your company.
Please enter a phone number.
Please enter a valid work email.
Please select a company size.

We use this to generate your report and, if you'd like, to follow up. No spam, no list sales. Unsubscribe any time.

Downtime Cost Report ·
$0
per hour of downtime

Your Downtime Cost Breakdown

What downtime is actually costing you

This is a planning estimate, not an actuarial or audited figure. It's built directly from the numbers you entered: change any of them and the total changes with it.
How We Calculated This
Formula: cost per hour = (affected employees × avg. burdened hourly wage) + estimated lost revenue per hour
Reality Check

What To Do About It

Find Out What a Plan Sized For Your Business Costs

A short call with a Topshelf engineer: we'll walk through your numbers and show you exactly what proactive monitoring and managed support would look like for a business your size. No pressure, no obligation.

Talk to Topshelf About Preventing This

This calculator produces a directional planning estimate based on the figures you entered, not an actuarial or audited calculation. It excludes factors such as ransom payments, regulatory fines, insurance deductibles, contractual penalties, and long-term customer attrition: all of which can push the real cost of downtime higher. Use it to size the problem, not to set a budget.