Estimate the true cost of any meeting—fast. Add attendees (by role and hourly cost or annual salary), include prep & travel time, apply overhead, set recurrence, and instantly see total cost, cost per attendee, cost per minute, and an annualized figure with a clear role breakdown chart. Built for managers, PMs, finance partners, and anyone who protects focus time.

Data source & methodology

AuthoritativeDataSource: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Employer Costs for Employee Compensation (ECEC), latest annual tables. Accessed via bls.gov.

“Tutti i calcoli si basano rigorosamente sulle formule e sui dati forniti da questa fonte.”

Overhead/benefits proxy uses ECEC national averages (~30% of total compensation). Adjust the percentage to match your company.
Annual salary converted to hourly assuming 2,080 hours per year (52 × 40).
Annualized meeting cost multiplies one-meeting cost by recurrence (weekly 52, bi-weekly 26, monthly 12, quarterly 4).

The formula explained

Meeting cost (one-off): \\[ C = \sum_{i=1}^{n}\Big( h_i \cdot \underbrace{r_i \cdot (1+\frac{o}{100})}_{\\text{loaded hourly}} \cdot \underbrace{\frac{t + p + v}{60}}_{\\text{hours per attendee}} \Big) \\] Where annualized cost is \$ C_{annual} = C \times f \$.

Glossary of variables

n: number of distinct attendee roles/rows.
h_i: headcount for role i.
r_i: hourly cost for role i (converted from salary if provided).
o: overhead & benefits percentage.
t: meeting duration (minutes).
p: prep time per attendee (minutes).
v: travel time per attendee (minutes; set 0 for remote).
f: recurrence factor (52, 26, 12, 4, or 1 for one-off).

How it works: a step-by-step example

Example scenario

Duration = 60 min, Recurrence = Weekly, Overhead = 30%.
Prep = 10 min per attendee, Travel = 0 (remote).
Roles:
- Executive: headcount 1, hourly $90
- Manager: headcount 2, hourly $60
- Staff: headcount 4, hourly $35

Computation

Loaded hourly rates multiply by (1 + 0.30). Each attendee’s hours = (60 + 10 + 0)/60 = 1.1667 h. Sum across roles and multiply by headcount to get \$ C \$. Annualized cost multiplies \$ C \$ by 52.

FAQ

Should I use hourly cost or annual salary?

Either works. If salary is entered, the tool converts to hourly using 2,080 hours/year. If you have a precise hourly loaded rate from HR/Finance, prefer that.

What overhead percentage should I pick?

Start with 25–35% if you’re in the U.S. (based on BLS ECEC averages). Your company’s on-costs may differ; ask Finance for an internal burden rate.

Does prep and travel time really matter?

Yes. A 60-minute meeting with 10 minutes of prep for 10 people adds nearly two hours of extra time across the group.

How do I use annualized cost?

Compare the annualized figure to expected impact. If a weekly meeting costs $50k/year, it should clearly prevent more than $50k of waste or create at least that much value.

Is this a budgeting tool or a real-time ticker?

This calculator helps plan and compare. For a live ticker during meetings, use a timer and multiply by total loaded hourly rate per minute.

How accurate is the 2,080 hours/year assumption?

It’s a standard U.S. convention. If you prefer a different basis (e.g., 1,900 billable hours), adjust hourly costs accordingly.

Tool developed by Ugo Candido. Content verified by the CalcDomain Editorial Review Board.
Last accuracy review: October 27, 2025

meeting calculator

Attendees

Results

Total meeting cost

Cost per attendee

Cost per minute

Annualized cost