How does the meeting cost calculator work the math out?

We take the average annual salary, add 30% for benefits and overhead, and divide by 2,080 working hours per year (52 weeks × 40 hours) to get a fully loaded hourly cost per person. The per-meeting cost is attendees × hourly cost × (meeting duration + prep time) in hours. The annual cost multiplies that by how often the meeting recurs.

Free Meeting Cost Calculator — What Do Your Meetings Really Cost?

This meeting costs

per meeting

Full cost breakdown

Annual cost

at 52 meetings per year

Cost per attendee-hour

fully loaded (salary + 30% overhead)

What this could fund instead (per year)

0new laptops at $1,500 each

0months of a senior engineer (~$12,500/month fully loaded)

0conference tickets at $2,000 each

Cost over the next 12 months

Month	Cost	Cumulative

5 ways to cut this cost

Change the default length. Set your calendar default to 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30/60. Meetings expand to fill the slot — shrink the slot and you instantly save 15–20% of the cost above.

No agenda, no attend. Require a written agenda and a decision to be made. If neither exists, decline. A meeting without a decision is an email with a calendar invite.

Trim the invite list. Every attendee multiplies the cost. Make "optional" mean optional, and send notes to everyone who only needs to be informed.

Go async for status. Status updates don't need a room. A written update read in 3 minutes replaces a 60-minute round-the-table — that alone can eliminate the biggest line in this breakdown.

Audit recurring meetings quarterly. Cancel every recurring meeting once a quarter and only re-create the ones people actually ask for. Most were useful once and became habit.

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How it works

Describe the meeting

Enter attendees, your team's rough average salary, meeting length, and how often it recurs. Prep time is optional but revealing.

See the live cost

The per-meeting cost updates instantly as you type — fully loaded, using salary + 30% overhead over 2,080 working hours a year.

Unlock the breakdown

Enter your work email to see the annual cost, what it could fund instead, a 12-month table, and five practical ways to cut it.

Common questions

How does the calculator work the math out?

We take the average annual salary, add 30% for benefits and overhead, and divide by 2,080 working hours per year (52 weeks × 40 hours) to get a fully loaded hourly cost per person. Per-meeting cost = attendees × hourly cost × (duration + prep time) in hours. The annual figure multiplies that by the meeting's recurrence — 250 for daily (weekdays), 52 for weekly, 26 for bi-weekly, 12 for monthly.

Why do you add 30% on top of salary?

Salary is only part of what an employee costs an organisation. Payroll taxes, health insurance, retirement contributions, equipment, software, and office space typically add 25–40% on top of base salary. We use 30% as a conservative, widely used estimate of the fully loaded cost.

Is my salary data stored anywhere?

No. All calculations run entirely in your browser — the salary figure never leaves your device. If you choose to unlock the full breakdown, only your email and the rounded cost totals are sent, never the salary inputs themselves.

Is it really free?

Yes, completely. The live per-meeting cost needs no signup at all. The deeper annual breakdown and cost-cutting tips just ask for your work email — no credit card, no account.

How accurate is the result?

It's a solid directional estimate, not an accounting figure. It relies on your team's average salary and a standard overhead assumption. The real insight is the order of magnitude — most teams underestimate the cost of recurring meetings by 5–10×.

What do your meetings really cost?