Meeting Cost Calculator

About the Meeting Cost Calculator

Calculates what a meeting actually costs by multiplying the number of attendees, their average hourly rate and the meeting length.

How to use

Enter attendees, average hourly rate and meeting length in minutes, then click Calculate.

Worked example

8 people at $50/h for 60 min → $400.

How to use this calculator

1. Enter the hourly rate for each attendee.
2. Enter the meeting length in hours and minutes, if the tool accepts decimal hours.
3. Check whether everyone attending should be included, including the organizer.
4. Run the calculation to see the total salary cost of the meeting.

The formula explained

• \(\text{Meeting cost}\) = the total salary cost of the meeting
• \(participants' hourly rates\) = the hourly pay rate for each person attending
• \(\text{meeting duration in hours}\) = how long the meeting lasts, written as a decimal if needed
• \(\text{sum}\) = the total of all attendees' hourly rates

Step by step method

1. List every participant whose time should be counted and note each person's hourly rate.
2. Add all of the hourly rates together to get the combined hourly cost of the meeting.
3. Convert the meeting length into hours, using a decimal if the meeting is not a whole number of hours.
4. Multiply the combined hourly cost by the meeting duration to find the total cost.

Worked example

Here is a realistic example for a 45 minute team meeting with four employees.

1. The attendees earn \(\$30\), \(\$40\), \(\$50\), and \(\$60\) per hour, so the combined hourly cost is \(30 + 40 + 50 + 60 = 180\).
2. A 45 minute meeting is \(0.75\) hours.
3. Multiply the combined hourly cost by the duration: \(180 \times 0.75 = 135\).

Tips and common mistakes

• Make sure you include every attendee whose time is being paid for.
• Convert minutes to decimal hours before calculating, or the total will be wrong.
• Use the actual salary or hourly rate for each person rather than an average unless the tool specifically asks for one.
• If someone joins late or leaves early, only count the time they were actually in the meeting.

Frequently asked questions