SaaS Shelfware Carry Cost Calculator
Expose how much cash your team is burning on shelfware before the next SaaS renewal. Input unused licenses, the per-seat contract price, and the months left on the agreement to see the total carry cost, plus optional salvage savings if you can redeploy or downgrade seats mid-term.
Financial planning tool only. Validate pricing, downgrade rules, and termination clauses with your vendor before making commitments.
Examples
- 45 unused seats, $1,240 per seat annually, 9 months left ⇒ Idle license carrying cost: $41,850.00 USD over 9.00 months • Monthly waste: $4,650.00 USD • Per-seat loss: $930.00 USD • Salvage offset assumed: $0.00 USD.
- 20 unused seats, $1,560 per seat annually, 6 months left, 25% salvage ⇒ Idle license carrying cost: $11,700.00 USD over 6.00 months • Monthly waste: $1,950.00 USD • Per-seat loss: $585.00 USD • Salvage offset assumed: $3,900.00 USD.
FAQ
How should I treat true-ups or usage-based overages?
Layer usage-based fees on top of the monthly waste figure so stakeholders see the full cost of unused entitlement plus variable charges.
Can I enter partial seats for floating licenses?
Yes. Use decimal values to represent average idle entitlement and the calculator will scale the cost accordingly.
What if the vendor allows mid-term downgrades?
Estimate the refund or credit as a salvage percentage so the output reflects the reduced cash burn once downgrades are processed.
Additional Information
- Annual seat cost divided by 12 converts the contract price into a monthly burn rate for idle licenses.
- Salvage percentage captures redeployments, secondary market credits, or negotiated give-backs during the term.
- Net carrying cost helps procurement prioritize vendor consolidation, seat recycling, or contract downsizing before renewal.