FREE TOOL
Meeting cost calculator
See what a meeting really costs in salary time, per meeting and per year. Then find the cheapest way to get the same outcome. Your numbers stay in your browser.
THE REAL COST
This meeting costs a year
- Each meeting
- $362
- Every minute
- $6.03
- People-hours a year
- 322
Where the money goes, per meeting
Run the meter live
Share your screen with this running and watch how quickly the meeting wraps up.
Ways to spend less each year
- Book 45 minutes instead of 60saves $4,162
Meetings expand to fill the slot. A shorter booking with a clear outcome usually finishes on time.
- Invite 2 fewer peoplesaves $4,757
Ask who needs to be in the room to decide. Others can read the notes in two minutes.
- Meet every two weeks insteadsaves $8,324
If most updates could wait, a less frequent slot plus a written check-in keeps everyone in sync.
- Swap it for a written updatesaves $13,874
For status updates, a short written note that takes each person ten minutes to read and reply to.
Is this meeting worth it?
Tick what’s true about this meeting.
How the cost of a meeting is worked out
Salary time, not just the room
Each person’s yearly salary is divided by about 1,760 working hours (220 days of 8 hours) to get an hourly cost. On-costs like benefits, payroll tax and desk space add roughly 30% on top. Multiply by everyone in the room and the minutes, and you have the cost.
The hidden cost is the repeat
One meeting rarely looks expensive. A weekly hour with seven people quietly becomes more than 300 hours a year. That’s nearly two months of one person’s working time, so recurring meetings deserve the hardest look.
Cheaper ways to get the same result
Book shorter slots, invite only the people who decide or do the work, and move status updates into writing. Keep live meetings for decisions, disagreements and anything that needs a real conversation.
Learn more: stopping pointless meetings, silence isn’t agreement, the loudest voice in the room. Or play Meeting Survival.