How to Run a SaaS Subscription Audit (and Cut 20–40% of Your IT Spend)

If you’ve never audited your software subscriptions, there’s a good chance 20–40% of that spend is waste — duplicate tools, unused seats, and auto-renewing trials nobody remembers signing up for. The good news: you can find most of it yourself in an afternoon.

1. Pull every recurring charge

Start with the money, not the apps. Export the last 12 months from your business card and bank statements and filter for anything recurring. Don’t forget app-store charges and anything billed annually — those are the easiest to forget and the most expensive to ignore.

2. Map each charge to an owner and a purpose

For every subscription, write down who uses it, what it’s for, and how many seats you pay for versus how many are active. If nobody can name the owner, that’s your first cancellation.

3. Find the overlap

This is where the savings hide. You may be paying for three tools that all store files, two that both do video calls, or a standalone product that’s already included in your Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace plan. Consolidating overlap is usually the single biggest line-item cut.

4. Right-size your seats

Per-seat tools quietly bloat as people leave. Reconcile every active license against your current headcount. While you’re there, check whether you’re on a more expensive tier than you use.

5. Decide: keep, cut, or consolidate

Sort everything into three buckets. Cancel the dead weight immediately. Flag the overlaps for consolidation. Keep what genuinely earns its cost.

When to bring in help

The audit itself is DIY-friendly. The part that’s worth a pro is the consolidation — migrating data, reconfiguring identity and security, and making sure nothing breaks when you cut a tool. That’s exactly the kind of work we right-size for NW Indiana businesses. If you’d rather not untangle it alone, book a free assessment and we’ll do the audit with you.