Meeting Cost Calculator
A meeting's real cost is easy to underestimate because salary is usually thought of annually, not per-minute — this converts attendee count, duration and hourly rate directly into what that hour in the room actually costs the organisation.
Inputs
Result
330
17,160 per year if held weekly
How the meeting cost calculator works
Meeting cost = number of attendees × (duration in minutes ÷ 60) × average hourly rate.
An annualised projection is also shown, assuming the same meeting recurs weekly for a full year (52 occurrences).
Worked example: 6 attendees, 60 minutes, average rate 55/hour
- Cost = 6 × (60 ÷ 60) × 55 = 6 × 1 × 55 = 330.
- If held weekly: 330 × 52 = 17,160 per year — a single recurring hour-long meeting.
Common mistakes to avoid
Using one person's salary rate instead of the true average across all attendees
If attendees have significantly different pay levels, using a single (possibly junior) rate for everyone understates the true cost — a genuinely accurate calculation should use the actual average hourly rate across the specific mix of people in the room.
Forgetting this only captures direct salary cost, not the full opportunity cost
This figure represents attendees' time valued at their hourly rate — it doesn't capture the value of the work they would otherwise have been doing, which for some meetings and some roles can be a far larger real cost than the salary figure alone suggests.
Frequently asked questions
How do I estimate 'average hourly rate' if I only know annual salaries?
Divide each attendee's annual salary by roughly 2,080 (a standard full-time work-year of 40 hours × 52 weeks) to get an hourly rate, then average those figures across everyone attending.
Why does the calculator show an annualised figure for a single meeting?
A single meeting's cost can seem small in isolation, but recurring meetings compound significantly — seeing the annual total helps evaluate whether a standing weekly meeting is genuinely worth its ongoing cost.
Does this account for benefits and overhead costs beyond base salary?
No — it uses whatever hourly rate figure is entered directly. For a fuller cost picture including benefits, payroll tax, and overhead, a loaded hourly rate (higher than base salary alone) could be entered instead for a more complete estimate.
How could this number be used constructively rather than just as a discouraging statistic?
As a prompt to question whether every recurring meeting genuinely needs its current attendee list, duration, or frequency — the number itself is neutral information that can support a decision to trim a meeting down, not a judgment on its own.
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