Meeting Cost Tracker
Estimate meeting cost from duration, attendees, hourly rates, salaries, loaded cost multiplier, and recurring meeting frequency.
Meeting Cost Inputs
Estimate before taxes and overhead unless the multiplier is set above 1.0.
Total people invited to the meeting.
Average gross rate per attendee.
Use 1.2–1.4 for an overhead-loaded cost.
Estimated cost per meeting
Loaded hourly cost × attendees × duration.
Annual cost
Cost per meeting × meetings in this period.
Annual cost
Cost per meeting × meetings per year.
Monthly cost
Annual cost ÷ 12.
Attendee-hours
Attendees × duration in hours.
Cost per attendee
Average cost contributed by one person.
Meetings per year
Based on the selected frequency.
Hourly or salary
Switch between average hourly rate and salary-derived hourly cost in one click.
Loaded cost
Apply an employer multiplier for benefits, taxes, and overhead.
Recurring projections
See how the same meeting compounds across months, quarters, and a full year.
Meeting Cost Breakdown
| Meeting duration | 1 hr |
| Attendees included | 5 |
| Cost mode | Average hourly rate |
| Hourly cost per attendee | £50.00 |
| Employer multiplier | 1× |
| Loaded hourly cost | £50.00 |
| Cost per meeting | £250.00 |
| Meetings per year | 52 |
| Monthly cost | £1,083.33 |
| Quarterly cost | £3,250.00 |
| Annual cost | £13,000.00 |
| Attendee-hours per meeting | 5 |
Shorter Meeting Savings
If 15 minutes shorter
£62.50
Saved per meeting · £3,250.00 per year
If 30 minutes shorter
£125.00
Saved per meeting · £6,500.00 per year
If 25% shorter
£62.50
Saved per meeting · £3,250.00 per year
How to Read This Estimate
Meeting cost formula
Cost = loaded hourly cost × attendees × duration in hours.
Salary-to-hourly
Hourly = annual salary ÷ (hours/week × weeks/year).
Recurring cost
Annual cost = cost per meeting × meetings per year.
Loaded cost
Multiplier covers benefits, taxes, software, and overhead.
Estimate only
Real cost varies with payroll rules, contract type, and overhead.
Use as a planning aid
Pair with HR or finance figures for budgeting decisions.
What Is a Meeting Cost Tracker?
A meeting cost tracker estimates the wage cost of bringing people together. By combining duration, attendees, and an hourly or salary-derived rate, it puts a number on time that often feels invisible. Teams use it for budgeting recurring rituals, evaluating whether a meeting is worth the headcount, and stress-testing standing calendar invites.
How Meeting Cost Is Calculated
Cost per meeting = loaded hourly cost × attendees × duration in hours
Loaded hourly cost = hourly rate × employer multiplier
Hourly rate (salary mode) = annual salary ÷ (hours per week × weeks per year)
Attendee-hours = attendees × duration in hours
Annual cost = cost per meeting × meetings per year
Salary-to-Hourly Conversion
Many roles are paid as an annual salary even though meetings consume hours. To put both employees and contractors on the same scale, the tracker divides salary by annual working hours (default 40 × 52 = 2,080). Adjust hours per week or weeks per year if your organisation uses a different baseline.
What Is Loaded Cost?
Loaded cost (sometimes called fully burdened cost) is the wage plus everything the employer pays around it: benefits, payroll taxes, equipment, software, and administration. A common rule of thumb is 1.2 to 1.4× base pay, but the actual figure varies. Leave the multiplier at 1.0 for a pure wage estimate.
Why Recurring Meetings Add Up
A one-off 30-minute meeting feels small. The same meeting every week becomes 26 hours of time per year per attendee. Multiplying that by a typical team and a loaded hourly rate quickly produces a five-figure number. That compounding is what the recurring projection cards are designed to surface.
How to Reduce Meeting Costs
Shorten the default
Default to 25 or 45 minutes instead of 30 or 60 and watch the savings cards.
Trim the attendee list
Invite only the people who must decide. Share the notes with everyone else.
Convert to async
Replace status updates with a written summary that people read on their own time.
Combine or cancel
Audit every recurring meeting once a quarter. Cancel anything without a clear outcome.
What This Estimate Includes
Included
Wage time spent inside the meeting, attendee count, an optional overhead multiplier, and recurring frequency.
Not included
Preparation time, follow-up work, context-switching cost, and opportunity cost of the tasks people would have done instead.
Limitations of This Calculator
The tracker estimates the wage portion of a meeting. It does not account for differences in benefits, regional tax rules, equity compensation, or productivity loss from interruptions. Treat the output as a directional figure to support a conversation, not a precise accounting number.
Frequently Asked Questions
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