IT Ticket Cost per Incident

Benchmark help desk efficiency by dividing your monthly support budget by the ticket volume you clear. Add optional average handle time and loaded labor rate to see how closely spending tracks labor and how many analyst hours you burn each month.

All-in monthly support budget or vendor retainer.
Include incidents and service requests closed monthly.
Defaults to 1.2 hours if blank.
Defaults to $60/hour if blank.

This calculator provides directional benchmarks only; confirm allocations with your finance and operations teams.

Examples

  • $45,000 monthly spend and 1,200 tickets with defaults ⇒ Cost per ticket: $37.50 USD • Implied labor cost per ticket: $72.00 USD • Monthly analyst hours: 1,440.00 hours.
  • $60,000 monthly spend, 900 tickets, 1.5 hours at $70/hour ⇒ Cost per ticket: $66.67 USD • Implied labor cost per ticket: $105.00 USD • Monthly analyst hours: 1,350.00 hours.

FAQ

Should I include software and tooling in support spend?

Yes. Include licenses, outsourcing fees, and salaries to capture the full cost of support delivery.

What if ticket volume fluctuates seasonally?

Run the calculator with peak and trough volumes to bracket cost per ticket across your operating year.

How do I use the analyst hours output?

Compare monthly analyst hours against available staffing to gauge utilization and whether overtime or automation is needed.

Additional Information

  • Result unit: USD per ticket plus hours for monthly effort.
  • Defaults assume 1.2 hours per ticket and $60 per hour when optional inputs are blank.
  • Cost per ticket divides total monthly spend by resolved ticket count; labor cost multiplies handle time by loaded rate.

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