Meeting Cost Calculator
I once calculated the real cost of a weekly steering committee with 8 people at the agency. The number was uncomfortable enough to build this tool. Enter participants, salaries, duration: the result speaks for itself.
Cost of this meeting
€199
Annual projection
€10,339
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Calculated using fully-loaded employer cost (payroll taxes included, ~+42%) and a base of 1,607 working hours per year. No data is stored — all calculations run in your browser.
How to use this tool
- 1Enter the number of participants
- 2Set the average annual gross salary
- 3Enter the meeting duration in minutes
- 4The total cost updates in real time
Why it matters
Meeting costs are rarely made visible. A weekly steering committee with 8 senior managers can easily exceed £1,200 per session - over £60,000 per year before preparation time. Putting a number on it helps justify shorter formats, stricter agendas, and shifting reporting updates to asynchronous channels.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate the cost of a meeting?
Multiply the meeting duration by the hourly cost of each participant (loaded salary divided by annual working hours). A standard formula applies a 42% employer contribution rate to gross salary.
What is the ideal meeting length?
Research on productivity points to 25 or 50 minutes rather than 30 or 60, to allow a transition buffer. Beyond 45 minutes without a break, attention drops significantly.
How can you reduce unnecessary meetings?
Apply the 'async first' test: if information can be shared in writing without losing clarity, the meeting is not needed. Reserve meetings for collective decisions and exchanges that genuinely require real-time interaction.
What best practices make a meeting worth its cost?
An agenda sent in advance, with a clear objective per item. A start and end time that are announced and actually respected. And meeting notes that list SMART action items, or at minimum a clear definition of done and a precise deadline for each one. Without that, the cost this tool calculates just repeats at the next meeting with nothing actually moved forward.