Meeting Cost Calculator
Free online meeting cost calculator. No sign-up, no installation. Runs entirely in your browser.
Quick Calculator
⏱️ Live Meeting Timer
Start a real-time timer to track your actual meeting costs as they happen.
What is a Meeting Cost Calculator?
A meeting cost calculator helps you understand the true financial impact of time spent in meetings. By calculating the combined hourly rates of all attendees, you can see exactly how much money is being spent while people are talking.
This tool is perfect for:
- Evaluating whether meetings are necessary
- Justifying investments in better meeting scheduling
- Understanding organizational time waste
- Making data-driven decisions about communication methods
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter attendees: Count how many people are in the meeting
- Set hourly rate: Use average salary or actual hourly rates (include benefits if desired)
- Choose duration: Enter meeting time in minutes or use HH:MM format
- Calculate: Click the button to see total cost and breakdown
- Live timer (optional): Use the timer to track ongoing meetings in real-time
Pro tip: Include benefits and overhead (typically 30-50% of salary) for a more accurate total cost per employee.
Common Use Cases
- Executive meetings: A 1-hour meeting with 10 executives earning $200/hr costs $2,000
- Team standups: Daily 15-min standups with 8 people at $75/hr = $150/day = $750/week
- Quarterly reviews: Large all-hands meetings to calculate total company time investment
- Client calls: Understand billable time spent on calls with multiple team members
- Decision-making: Evaluate whether a meeting is worth the cost vs. async communication
Frequently Asked Questions
What hourly rate should I use?
Use the average fully-loaded cost per employee (salary + benefits + overhead). If unsure, divide annual salary by 2,080 (standard work hours per year). For more accuracy, add 25-50% to account for benefits, office space, equipment, and management overhead.
How do I include part-time employees?
Use their actual hourly rate. For salary: (Annual Salary) ÷ (Hours Worked Per Year). This tool treats all attendees equally, so if you have mixed rates, use an average.
Can I use this for client billing?
Yes! Enter the number of team members, their hourly rates (or billable rates), and duration. The calculator shows total project cost and per-attendee costs, useful for proposals and invoicing.
What does the “Live Timer” do?
The timer lets you track a real meeting in progress. Start it when the meeting begins, and watch the cost accumulate in real-time. Pause to review costs, or reset to start over. Great for making meetings more cost-conscious!
Is the cost calculation accurate?
Yes, for what it measures: hourly cost × attendees × duration. It does not account for productivity gains, collaboration benefits, or strategic value—only direct labor cost. Use it as one factor in your meeting decisions.
Can I save my calculations?
This tool runs entirely in your browser and does not save data. However, you can copy the breakdown and paste it into a document, spreadsheet, or email for reference.