Work Estimate at Completion and Work Estimate to Complete

Work Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Work Estimate to Complete (ETC) are cost projections.

The work that is still not done is the remaining hours left in the task (ETC) and add the cost of that pending work to the cost of the work that has been done (EAC).

We'll start with an example of the simplest one, which is ETC:

• A task which costs $100/hour and has a work value of 40 hours is 50% complete
• The 50% of those 40 hours which is not done is 20 hours multiplied by $100, or $2000
• ETC does not take into account any actual hours entered by the resources
• Actual hours are not part of the ETC calculation

Next is EAC, which DOES take into account the actual hours entered by resources to date

Work Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Work Estimate to Complete (ETC) are cost projections that help teams understand where project or task work is expected to land financially.

Work Estimate to Complete (ETC) estimates the cost of the work that is still not done. Work Estimate at Completion (EAC) combines the cost of work already completed with the estimated cost of the remaining work.

What Is Work Estimate To Complete?

Work Estimate to Complete, or ETC, estimates the cost of the remaining work on a task.

ETC is based on the remaining hours left in the task. It does not include actual hours entered by resources.

Example: ETC

• A task costs $100 per hour.
• The task has a work value of 40 hours.
• The task is 50% complete.
• The remaining work is 20 hours.
• 20 hours x $100 = $2,000.

In this example, the ETC is $2,000.

Important: ETC does not take actual hours into account. It only estimates the cost of the work still remaining.

What Is Work Estimate At Completion?

Work Estimate at Completion, or EAC, estimates the total cost of the task or work when it is complete.

EAC includes actual hours entered to date, then adds the estimated cost of the remaining work.

Example: EAC

• The task has 25 actual hours entered at $100 per hour.
• The cost of the completed work is 25 hours x $100 = $2,500.
• The ETC for the remaining work is $2,000.
• $2,500 + $2,000 = $4,500.

In this example, the EAC is $4,500.

What Is The Difference Between EAC And ETC?

What Is Work Estimate At Completion CPI?

The standard EAC calculation assumes the remaining work will be completed on budget, even if the work completed so far was over or under budget.

If you want a projection that assumes the remaining work will continue at the same performance level as the work already completed, use Work Estimate at Completion CPI, or cost performance index.

Example: EAC CPI

• In the example above, the first 50% of the task required 25 actual hours instead of the planned 20 hours.
• EAC CPI assumes the remaining 50% will perform the same way and also require 25 actual hours.
• At $100 per hour, the projected EAC CPI would be $5,000.

When Should You Use These Fields?

Use EAC, ETC, and EAC CPI when you need to:

• Forecast the cost of remaining work
• Estimate where a task or project may land financially
• Compare current performance against planned cost
• Understand whether remaining work is expected to stay on budget
• Use cost performance to support budget forecasting

Common Questions

Does ETC use actual hours?

No. ETC estimates the cost of the remaining work and does not include actual hours entered by resources.

Does EAC use actual hours?

Yes. EAC uses actual hours entered to date, then adds the estimated cost of the remaining work.

What is the difference between EAC and EAC CPI?

EAC assumes the remaining work will be completed on budget. EAC CPI uses cost performance index to project the remaining work based on how the project or task has performed so far.

In Short

Work Estimate to Complete helps estimate the cost of remaining work. Work Estimate at Completion helps estimate the total cost when work is complete.

Together, ETC, EAC, and EAC CPI help Project Insight teams forecast budget performance and understand where project or task costs may land before the work is finished.