Start with the people and the work
List current users, expected hires, contractors, and supported devices. Group people by real requirements instead of applying one equipment price to every role. Note work locations, applications, meeting-room needs, and whether devices ship internationally. Document each assumption so the plan can be updated when hiring changes.
Separate the spending into useful buckets
A budget is easier to compare with actual spending when one-time purchases do not disappear into the monthly total. Keep product hosting and engineering infrastructure as a separate line if another team owns them. That avoids quietly including or excluding a large cost when comparing support proposals.
| Bucket | Include | Planning input |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment | Laptop, accessories, warranty, shipping, and preparation | People by role, approved specification, current quotes |
| Recurring software | Identity, collaboration, device management, and security tools | Required plans, active seats, renewal terms |
| Support | Internal capacity or external support agreement | Covered users and devices, hours, exclusions |
| Office infrastructure | Internet, networking, cabling, and meeting systems | Location survey and project scope |
| Changes and replacements | New hires, failures, returns, moves, and migrations | Hiring plan, inventory age, planned projects |
Use a formula you can inspect
For a planning period, add one-time equipment and project costs to the recurring monthly costs multiplied by the number of months. Then add known hiring and replacement needs, making sure you do not count the same device twice. Track an uncertainty allowance separately rather than hiding it inside every line.
- Device spend = planned units × actual fully prepared cost per unit.
- Software spend = applicable seats × contracted price × billing periods.
- Support spend = agreed recurring fees + separately scoped work.
- Total plan = one-time costs + recurring costs + planned changes + explicit allowance.
Ask about the charges between the line items
Check minimum commitments, annual billing, taxes, delivery, equipment return, setup labor, and after-hours work. Confirm whether a quoted support fee includes software or whether it is billed separately. Ask how adding and removing employees affects charges and which services continue through a notice period. These are questions for the actual contract, not assumptions to fill with an online industry average.
Review the budget when the hiring plan changes
Compare actual active seats and assigned devices with the plan. Look for unused licenses, duplicate tools, and replacements that were never recorded. Update the model before a hiring wave or office move. A budget built from an inventory and named owners is easier to manage than a percentage of revenue that nobody can explain.
Turn the worksheet into a buying brief
Use the checklist below to collect comparable inputs from your team and providers. Mark whether each item is included, separately quoted, or owned internally. finishline | MSP can use that brief to discuss the work you want covered; the final scope and price should follow your actual setup.
Your working checklist
Use this as a starting point. Assign an owner and a due date to each item. Checkmarks stay on this device only; don’t enter employee information here.
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Common questions
How much should a startup spend on IT per employee?
There is no single useful number without a scope. Equipment, role-specific software, support coverage, office infrastructure, and hiring changes all affect the total. Use actual quotes and separate recurring costs from purchases.
Should IT support include our product cloud bill?
Only if the scope explicitly includes it. Track employee IT and product infrastructure separately when they have different owners, then combine them deliberately for the company-wide budget.