Meeting Cost Calculator
Estimate the direct salary time invested in a meeting. Use the free private browser tool, then learn how to apply its result.
For the thinking behind this workflow, use the when to cancel a meeting.
Free to use. No account required. Your entries stay in this browser and are not submitted to Meet You.
Your result
Complete the fields, then create a result you can copy into your working document.
When this tool helps
Use the estimate when reviewing a recurring series, comparing meeting formats, or deciding how much preparation a high-attendance session deserves. Cost is a design input, not a reason to avoid necessary collaboration.
How it works
Count the people
Include everyone whose paid time is reserved, even if some participants mainly listen.
Use a reasonable average
Enter a representative annual salary in one currency rather than mixing exact personal compensation.
Compare cost with purpose
Ask whether the meeting creates a decision, coordination, learning, or relationship outcome worth the direct time invested.
How to read the result
The result estimates salary time for the scheduled minutes. Use it to make scale visible and to compare alternatives, not as a precise accounting figure or a measure of human value.
Know the limit: The estimate excludes benefits, preparation, follow-up, facilities, opportunity cost, and differences in working hours. It is not a return-on-investment calculation.
Put the output to work
Copy the draft into the shared workspace your team already uses. Let the people involved correct it, keep the final version beside the relevant evidence, and link the result from the meeting record. For the full method, read When to Cancel a Meeting.
Common questions
Specific answers about the calculation, privacy, and limits of this tool.
How is the meeting cost estimate calculated?
The calculator divides the average annual salary by 2,080 working hours, then multiplies that hourly amount by the number of attendees and the meeting duration in hours.
Is this the full cost of a meeting?
No. It estimates scheduled salary time only. It excludes benefits, preparation, follow-up, facilities, overhead, opportunity cost, and the value created by the meeting.