It will take roughly 24hrs of work over the course of a month to transition a team of 20 to LibreOffice, or decide to pay Microsoft $60 per employee per year for access to apps. We call this the Clippy Tax.
-George Weiner, WholeWhale.com
This is a question 400,000 nonprofits will be asking starting July 1st, 2025 due to the sudden cancellation of the Microsoft Business Premium and Office 365 E1 grant. Microsoft has mapped out a detailed, 5-step auditing process, we decided to expand it to include how to replace Office 365 local apps with the free opnesource LibreOffice.
Even though LibreOffice is free, the true cost of software is in the transition cost. Here is what to expect for a transition timeline:
Detailed Task Breakdown & Time Estimates
⚙️ 1. Planning & License Audit
| Task | Notes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Review who is using Business Premium features | Use admin center reports or manual checks | 1.5–2 hours |
| Identify who actually needs LibreOffice | Based on document types, workflows | 0.5 hour |
| Draft transition plan & timeline | Include comms strategy | 1 hour |
Subtotal: ~3–3.5 hours
💳 2. Microsoft 365 License Changes
| Task | Notes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase Business Basic licenses (free up to 300) | Admin Center | 0.5 hour |
| Reassign licenses (20 users) | Manual reassignment per user | 20–30 minutes |
| Remove unused Premium licenses | Avoid extra charges | 15–20 minutes |
Subtotal: ~1–1.25 hours
💻 3. LibreOffice Deployment
| Task | Notes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Prep installer + test on 1-2 machines | Download, settings, test file compatibility | 1 hour |
| Remote install or support user install (20 people) | Assume ~5 tech-savvy users self-install (5–10 min), others need handholding (15–30 min) | 5–7 hours |
| Create install guide/email + troubleshoot issues | Screenshots, Zoom support, chat/email | 1.5–2 hours |
Subtotal: ~7.5–10 hours
🧠 4. Training & Change Communication
| Task | Notes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Draft internal communications | Emails/slides/video links on what’s changing | 1 hour |
| Host 2 optional training sessions (live or Zoom) | Cover web-based Office + LibreOffice | 2 hours |
| 1-on-1 follow-up with 5 users (struggling or resistant) | Assume ~15 minutes each | 1.25 hours |
Subtotal: ~4.25 hours
🛠 5. Support & Issue Resolution (First 2–4 Weeks)
| Task | Notes | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Troubleshoot login, access, Office file issues | Assume ~6–8 tickets/week, avg 15 mins each | 3–4 hours |
| Collect feedback + finalize documentation | FAQs, common questions | 1 hour |
Subtotal: ~4–5 hours
🧾 Total Admin Time Estimate (Realistic for 20-Person Distributed Team)
| Phase | Time Range |
|---|---|
| Planning & Audit | 3–3.5 hours |
| Microsoft 365 Changes | 1–1.25 hours |
| LibreOffice Deployment | 7.5–10 hours |
| Training & Communication | 4.25 hours |
| Ongoing Support (Month 1) | 4–5 hours |
✅ Total Estimated Time: 20–24 hours over 2–3 weeks
Note that none of this accounts for the new security to replace or update Defender and organization-wide controls on updates and management. If you need more advanced IT support find a smart nonprofit consultant.