Meeting Cost Calculator
Estimate the direct labor cost of one meeting from the number of attendees, their average hourly cost, and the scheduled duration.
Total Meeting Cost
$600.00
$10.00 per minute
Method
What the calculator measures
The result is a direct labor estimate, not an accounting statement. It multiplies the number of attendees by the average hourly cost and by the meeting duration expressed in hours.
Choose the right hourly input
Use an hourly wage when you want a simple payroll estimate. Use a loaded hourly cost when you want to include employer-paid taxes, benefits, equipment, and other compensation overhead. The calculator does not assume a markup because that percentage differs by organization.
If attendees have very different costs, calculate a weighted average or run separate groups. For example, four people at $50 per hour and two people at $100 per hour have a combined cost of $400 per hour, equivalent to six attendees averaging $66.67 per hour.
Worked example
An eight-person meeting with an average labor cost of $75 per hour and a 60-minute duration has an estimated direct cost of $600. If that same meeting runs every week, multiplying by 52 gives a $31,200 annual estimate before preparation, follow-up, or context-switching time.
Recurrence is often the more useful decision. Saving 15 minutes from a one-time meeting has a limited effect; removing 15 minutes from a weekly meeting changes 13 hours of calendar time per attendee over a 52-week year.
What the number leaves out
- Preparation, travel, note-taking, and follow-up work outside the scheduled window
- The cost of interrupting focused work or delaying another decision
- Revenue, risk reduction, learning, or relationship value created by a useful meeting
- Different attendance lengths when some people join late or leave early
A costly meeting is not automatically a bad meeting. Use the estimate to ask whether every attendee is necessary, whether the duration matches the agenda, and whether the same outcome could be reached asynchronously.
Fewer meetings, better scheduling.
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