> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mergeguide.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Savings calculator
> How the compliance savings calculator estimates the effort you save by merging overlapping frameworks.
The **savings calculator** in the PolicyMerge area estimates the effort and cost you
save by assessing overlapping compliance controls once instead of once per
framework. This page explains its inputs and outputs.
## Inputs you control
The calculator works from two assumptions you set:
| Input | What it is |
| -------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------ |
| **Hours per control assessment** | How long your team spends assessing one control. |
| **Compliance consultant rate** | The hourly cost you attach to that time. |
Both have sensible defaults and are fully adjustable, so you can ground the estimate
in your own numbers.
## What it computes
From your selected frameworks, the calculator derives:
| Output | How it's computed |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Hours without merge** | Total controls *including* cross-framework duplication × hours per control. |
| **Hours with merge** | Unique controls (duplicates collapsed) × hours per control. |
| **Hours saved** | Hours without merge − hours with merge. |
| **Cost saved** | Hours saved × your hourly rate. |
The saving comes entirely from not re-assessing the same requirement once per
framework — PolicyMerge identifies the overlap, and the calculator values it.
The result is an adjustable planning estimate, not a customer-specific guarantee.
Tune the inputs to match your team and market.
## Next steps
Read the overlap view the calculator works from.
The savings concept in context.