Run a labor what-if

A what-if replays your real shifts with one change, like a raise, a different overtime rule or a shorter shift, and shows what labor would have cost side by side with what it did cost. It’s a simulation: nothing in your timesheet or pay is changed.

Ask a what-if

1. Tap Chat at the bottom of the screen.
2. Ask your question starting with “what if” or “how much would it cost if”. For example:
   • What if we gave the kitchen a $1 raise?
   • What would California overtime rules have cost us last month?
   • What if everyone except servers took an unpaid 30-minute break on shifts over 6 hours?
   • How much would we save if we cut the last hour of every closing shift?
   • What if minimum wage went to $17?
   • What if we added a prep cook from 8 to 2 on weekdays?

If you don’t give dates, Maitaki uses the last full month and says so. Name a range to change it: “for October” or “for the last pay period”.

What you can change

Change	Examples
Overtime rules	Federal, California, daily or weekly limits, double time, the 7th day
Breaks	Unpaid breaks by shift length
Pay	A raise in $ or %, by person or role, a set rate, a new minimum wage
Staffing	Remove or shorten shifts, cut the first or last hour, move a start or end time, add a person

Overtime and break rules can apply to some people only, like “kitchen only” or “everyone except servers”. Changing closing or opening times isn’t available.

Read the answer

Maitaki replies in a few lines and adds a card marked Simulation:

• Actual and Simulated, each with labor cost, labor % and overtime hours.
• Costs more, Saves or No change, with the dollar difference and the change in labor % points.
• The people, roles or days that drive the difference most.
• Assumed: what the simulation took for granted, like whether the overtime premium is on and who a rule leaves out. Read this before you act on the number.
• See details breaks the change down by Person, Role or Day.
• View timesheet shows every shift Before and After, with changed shifts highlighted.

Treat it as an estimate. It’s worked out from your real shifts, but it isn’t legal or payroll advice. California penalty pay isn’t included.

Choose who’s included

If Maitaki can’t tell who you mean, it shows a Who’s included? card listing your people. Choose Everyone except these or Only these, tick the people, and tap Calculate. You can also reply with numbers from the list, like “1, 3, 5-8” or “all but 2”.

When a word could mean two things, like “cooks” or “doubles”, Maitaki asks one question before it runs.

Follow up

Ask follow-ups in the same chat and Maitaki reuses the same simulation: “by day”, “just Antoni”, “by hour”.

Long what-ifs over many shifts run in the background. A card shows progress, such as 3 of 8 parts, with Cancel. You can leave the screen; the answer appears in the chat when it’s done.

Common questions

Why is "Actual" different from what I paid?

Actual is the period as recorded in your timesheet. If your time clock doesn’t record overtime, Actual shows none either. The Assumed list on the card says which overtime setting was used. See Turn the overtime premium on or off.

It says there are no shifts in that range.

There’s no timesheet data for those dates. Pick dates your labor source covers.

Does a what-if change anyone's shifts or pay?

No. It works on a copy of the shifts. Your timesheet, pay rates and labor reports stay exactly as they were.