Meeting Cost Calculator: See the Cost in Real Time
Enter who is in the meeting and what their time costs, then press Start. The counter shows the money spent so far, the cost per minute and what a shorter meeting would save
Meeting Setup
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Use up to three groups, such as managers, engineers and guests, and leave unused groups empty. Enter an average for a role, not one person’s pay.
An estimate of the time of the people in the meeting only. It does not include the value the meeting creates or the work it interrupts.
How to use this tool
- Enter how many people are in each group and what one of them costs per hour or per year. Set the planned length of the meeting.
- Press Start when the meeting begins. The cost so far updates every fraction of a second, and Pause or Reset control the timer.
- Read the cost per minute and the cost of each 15 minutes you could cut. Use Copy Result to share the figure.
Worked example
Five people at 40 per hour cost 200 per hour together, which is 3.33 per minute. A planned 60-minute meeting costs 200, and cutting 15 minutes saves 50. If the rate is a salary instead, 72,000 per year with 1,800 work hours per year is 40 per hour. An extra employer cost of 25% would raise each 40 to 50.
Methodology
The cost of a meeting is the time of everyone in it multiplied by what that time costs the employer. This tool turns each rate into an hourly figure, optionally adds an extra employer cost, sums the groups and divides by 3600 to get a cost per second, which is why the counter moves in real time. Yearly rates are divided by the work hours per year that you enter, because contracts and countries differ, so no average is assumed. Everything is calculated in your browser, and nothing is saved when you close the page.
What common meetings cost
Every figure uses the tool’s own formula with each person at 40 per hour, in your currency: people × 40 × minutes ÷ 60.
| People | 30 min | 60 min | 90 min |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 80 | 160 | 240 |
| 8 | 160 | 320 | 480 |
| 12 | 240 | 480 | 720 |
A weekly one-hour meeting with 10 people costs 400 each time, or 19,200 over 48 meetings a year. Cutting it from 60 to 45 minutes saves 100 each time, or 4,800 over 48 meetings. Removing two of the ten people saves 80 per hour, or 3,840 over the same 48 one-hour meetings. These are illustrations of the formula, not typical costs: your groups, rates and extra employer cost change every figure, so enter your own numbers above. Before sending an invitation, read the 30-minute and 60-minute columns and ask whether the discussion is worth that amount.
Run Better Meetings: Timer, Whiteboard and Speakerphone
Three simple tools for meetings that start on time, stay on topic and sound clear
Rotating Productivity Timer 5/25/10/50, Desk Flip Cube Timer
Flip-cube timer with countdown and stopwatch modes, plus vibration, high and low volume and custom modes, as listed. A visible time limit is an easy way to keep a meeting inside its planned length.
Double-Sided Magnetic Dry Erase Whiteboard with Stand, 16" x 12"
Small double-sided magnetic dry-erase board with a stand, for a desktop or a meeting table. Write the agenda and the decisions where everyone can see them.
EMEET M0 Plus Conference Speaker and Microphone, 4 Mics, USB-C and Bluetooth
Four microphones with 360° voice pickup and noise reduction, USB-C with a C-to-A adapter and Bluetooth, for up to 8 people and up to 16 with daisy chain, as listed. Works with leading meeting software.
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Frequently asked questions
How is the cost of a meeting calculated? ▼
The tool adds up what each person’s time costs per hour, multiplies by the number of people, and divides by 3600 to get a cost per second. The counter then multiplies that by the seconds elapsed since you pressed Start. Yearly rates are first converted to hourly rates with the work hours per year you enter.
Which hourly rate should I enter? ▼
Use an average for the role, not the pay of a named colleague. If you only know a yearly figure, choose Year and set the work hours per year that match your contract. If you want to include taxes, benefits or equipment, add them as an extra employer cost percentage; leave it at 0 to use the rate as entered.
Why does the counter go back to zero when I close the page? ▼
Nothing is stored, so the timer exists only while the page is open. The clock keeps running if you switch to another tab, because it uses your device clock, but reloading or closing the page resets it. Use Copy Result before you leave if you want to keep the figure.
Does the result include preparation time or the value of the meeting? ▼
No. It counts only the time of the people while the timer runs, so it is an estimate of the time cost. To include preparation, add those minutes to the planned length. The value a meeting creates, and the work it interrupts, are not measured by this tool.
Can I use different rates for different people? ▼
Yes. There are three groups, each with its own number of people and rate, for example managers, engineers and guests. People with similar rates can share a group, and unused groups can stay empty.