Why pricing meetings changes behavior
A one-hour meeting with eight people isn't one hour — it's eight person-hours, plus the fragmentation cost of interrupting everyone's focus. Because that cost is invisible, meetings multiply until calendars have no room left for actual work. Putting a number on it is the fastest way to make the tradeoff real.
This calculator multiplies attendees by an average hourly cost and the duration to estimate a single meeting's cost, then projects it across a week, month, or year for recurring meetings. The annual figure for a standing weekly sync is often startling — and it's exactly the kind of prompt that leads teams to convert status meetings into async updates or trim the invite list.
How to use it
- Enter how many people attend the meeting.
- Enter an average fully-loaded hourly cost per attendee (salary plus overhead).
- Enter the meeting length in minutes.
- Choose how often it recurs to see the weekly, monthly, and annual cost.
- Use the annual number to decide whether the meeting earns its place.
Want the thinking behind this tool? Read Remote Meeting Reduction for the full framework and examples.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the cost of a meeting?
Multiply the number of attendees by their average hourly cost and by the meeting's length in hours. For example, eight people at 60 dollars per hour in a one-hour meeting costs 8 × 60 × 1 = 480 dollars. For recurring meetings, multiply that by how many times it happens per year to see the true annual cost.
What hourly rate should I use?
Use a fully-loaded cost, not just take-home salary. A rough estimate is the annual salary divided by about 2,000 working hours, then increased by 25–40 percent to account for benefits, taxes, and overhead. If you don't know exact numbers, a reasonable average across the attendees is enough to make the point.
Does the calculator store my numbers?
No. All calculations happen instantly in your browser and nothing is saved or sent anywhere. You can use it freely without any sign-up, and none of your figures leave your device.