Meeting Cost Calculator
Ever wondered how much that meeting really costs? Add your attendees, set the duration, and watch the dollars add up. Perfect for making the case for shorter meetings or async communication.
Scheduled Meeting Cost
$375.00
4 attendees × 60 minutes
💡 That's equivalent to...
Table of Contents
Why Track Meeting Costs?
Meetings are one of the most expensive activities in any organization—yet they're rarely treated that way. When you see "1 hour meeting" on your calendar, you might not think twice. But what if that meeting has 8 senior employees earning $100/hour each? That's an $800 decision.
Research suggests that the average employee spends over 30% of their working hours in meetings, with senior leaders spending even more. Unnecessary or poorly-run meetings cost U.S. businesses an estimated $37 billion annually in lost productivity.
By visualizing the true cost of meetings, teams can make more intentional decisions about when to meet, who to invite, and how long to schedule. Sometimes seeing that dollar amount tick upward is all it takes to keep discussions focused and efficient.
How This Calculator Works
The formula is straightforward:
Preset Salary Rates
We provide typical U.S. hourly rates based on role seniority. These are estimated all-in costs including salary, benefits, and overhead. Customize them to match your organization's actual rates for more accurate calculations.
Live Timer Mode
For maximum impact, use the live timer during actual meetings. Watch the cost tick up in real-time—it's a powerful way to keep everyone focused and on-topic. Some teams project this on a screen during meetings!
Pre-Meeting Planning
Use the scheduled cost view when planning meetings. Is that recurring weekly meeting with 12 people really necessary? The calculator helps you weigh the cost against the value delivered.
Tips to Reduce Meeting Costs
🎯 Be Intentional About Attendees
Every additional attendee increases the cost. Invite only those who need to be there—others can read the notes.
⏱️ Default to Shorter Meetings
Try 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60. You'll be surprised how often meetings expand to fill the time given.
📋 Always Have an Agenda
Meetings without agendas tend to wander. Agendas keep discussions focused and help attendees prepare.
🚫 Question Recurring Meetings
Cancel or reduce frequency of recurring meetings that have become routine rather than valuable.
🎬 Start and End on Time
Waiting for latecomers costs everyone. Respect people's time by being punctual.
📝 End with Action Items
Meetings without clear outcomes often need follow-up meetings. Capture decisions and next steps.
Alternatives to Meetings
Before scheduling a meeting, consider whether the same outcome could be achieved through asynchronous communication:
Email or Message
Perfect for updates, announcements, and decisions that don't require real-time discussion.
Shared Document
Collaborative docs let people contribute on their own time and create a written record.
Recorded Video
Loom-style videos work great for demos, explanations, and one-to-many updates.
Slack/Teams Thread
Quick questions and discussions can happen asynchronously in a dedicated channel.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most accurate approach is to use the "fully loaded" cost—salary plus benefits, payroll taxes, and overhead. A rough estimate is 1.3-1.5x the base hourly salary. Alternatively, use the presets as a starting point and adjust based on your industry and location.
For a comprehensive view, yes! Pre-meeting preparation and post-meeting action items can easily double the effective time cost of a meeting. Some teams track "meeting overhead" as a multiplier (e.g., 1.5x the meeting duration).
Show them the numbers! Share this calculator during a team meeting (ironically) and let the cost tick up. Propose an experiment: try shorter meetings or async communication for a month and measure the impact on productivity and satisfaction.
This varies by role, but many productivity experts suggest aiming for less than 30% of work hours in meetings. For individual contributors focused on deep work, even less (10-20%) may be ideal. Track your current meeting time and experiment with reductions.
Not at all! Some work genuinely requires real-time collaboration: brainstorming, complex problem-solving, relationship building, and nuanced discussions. The goal isn't to eliminate meetings but to be more intentional about when they're the right tool.