Meeting Cost Calculator

Attendee pricing:

Both modes feed the same loaded-rate meeting model.

Average rate Role rows

Attendee role rows:

Use one row per rate band; labels and values are included in the shareable state.

Role	People	Hourly rate	Remove
Role {{ index + 1 }} label	Role {{ index + 1 }} people	Role {{ index + 1 }} hourly rate {{ safeCurrencySymbol }}

Meeting duration:

{{ formatNumber(duration_minutes, 0) }} min

Adjust the exact meeting block from 5 minutes to 4 hours.

Preparation time:

Zero is valid when preparation is already included elsewhere.

Basis

Follow-up time:

Zero is valid when the meeting produces no separate follow-up block.

Basis

Recurrence:

Use Custom when the meeting count is known more precisely.

Meetings per year:

Comparison duration:

Use the shortest duration that still supports the meeting's purpose.

min

Comparison attendees:

Keep required decision-makers and contributors in the comparison.

Rate multiplier:

{{ formatNumber(loaded_multiplier, 2) }}×

The neutral 1.00× default leaves entered rates unchanged.

Recovery time:

The neutral zero-minute default leaves the estimate unchanged.

min

Recovery basis:

This setting is neutral while recovery time is zero.

Expected outcomes:

Leave zero when a meaningful outcome count is not available.

Currency symbol:

Use a short symbol or code, such as $, €, £, RM, or USD.

Export label:

Optional meeting name for copied and downloaded review material.

Cost line	People-hours	Cost	Share	Copy
{{ row.label }}{{ row.note }}	{{ formatHours(row.peopleHours) }}	{{ formatMoney(row.cost) }}	{{ formatPercent(row.share) }}

Current meeting: {{ formatMoney(values.per_meeting_cost) }} · {{ formatNumber(values.total_attendees, 0) }} attendees · {{ formatNumber(values.duration_minutes, 0) }} min
Comparison meeting: {{ formatMoney(values.scenario_per_meeting_cost) }} · {{ formatNumber(values.scenario_attendees, 0) }} attendees · {{ formatNumber(values.scenario_duration_minutes, 0) }} min
Annual difference: {{ formatSignedMoney(values.scenario_savings) }} · {{ formatSignedHours(values.annual_people_hours - values.scenario_annual_people_hours) }}

Review cues

{{ cue.label }}: {{ cue.text }}

{{ !chartRows.length ? 'Enter valid inputs to render the chart.' : chartLoading ? 'Loading chart. CSV data is available.' : chartError }}

A meeting uses the same scarce resource as focused work: people-hours. Ten people in a 45-minute call consume 7.5 people-hours before preparation, notes, follow-up, or the time needed to resume interrupted work. The calendar shows elapsed time for one attendee; a cost estimate reveals the combined commitment.

That estimate is useful for choosing an attendee list, duration, and cadence. It does not decide whether a meeting is worthwhile. A costly incident review may prevent a larger loss, while a cheap recurring status call may still be unnecessary when an update could be read asynchronously. Cost belongs beside the meeting's purpose and expected outcome, not in place of them.

People-hours: The sum of time used by everyone involved, including any selected preparation, follow-up, and recovery time.
Blended hourly rate: The attendee-weighted average of the hourly rates used in the estimate.
Loaded-rate multiplier: An optional factor that raises entered rates to represent employer costs or overhead. It is an assumption, not a currency conversion.
Recurrence: The number of meetings in a year, used to expose the effect of a repeated calendar commitment.

Added work needs a clear basis. Fifteen minutes of preparation done once by an organizer is 0.25 people-hours. The same 15 minutes assigned to eight attendees is 2 people-hours. Confusing total time with per-attendee time can move the estimate more than a small change in hourly rate.

Rates also need consistent meaning. Wage cost, contractor cost, internal planning cost, and billable value answer different questions. Use one defensible basis and one currency throughout, then compare scenarios on that same basis. The result cannot price trust, urgency, decision quality, morale, or the cost of delaying work.

How to Use This Tool:

Start with the rate basis your organization accepts, then model the meeting as it actually occurs rather than as the invite alone describes it.

Choose Average rate for one headcount and hourly rate, or Role rows when attendee groups have different rates.
Enter the Meeting duration, then add preparation, follow-up, and recovery minutes only where they genuinely occur. Set each basis to per attendee or total.
Select the recurrence. For Custom, enter the actual number of meetings expected during the year.
Set the loaded-rate multiplier if the entered rates exclude a known burden or overhead factor. Keep it at 1.00 when no adjustment is justified.
Build the comparison with a shorter duration or smaller required attendee count, then compare annual cost and annual people-hours with the current meeting.
If the estimate is withheld, correct the named input. A valid calculation needs at least one attendee, a positive rate, a duration from 5 to 1,440 minutes, and valid time bases.

Interpreting Results:

Per-meeting cost and Total people-hours describe one occurrence. Annual cost and Annual people-hours show the recurring footprint. Review both: a modest monetary estimate can still consume substantial staff time.

Scenario savings is the current annual cost minus the comparison annual cost. A positive value means the smaller or shorter scenario costs less under the same blended rate and added-time assumptions. It is not a forecast of cash that will automatically be recovered.

Cost per outcome is zero when no outcome count is entered. When it is used, define outcomes consistently, such as decisions completed or interviews conducted, so comparisons do not mix unlike results.

Technical Details:

The model converts elapsed minutes into people-hours and values those hours at an attendee-weighted loaded rate. Average-rate and role-row entry feed the same arithmetic.

Formula Core:

For role rows, the total loaded hourly cost is the sum of each group count multiplied by its rate and the loaded-rate multiplier.

H_{L} = \sum_{i = 1}^{k} c_{i} r_{i} L

The blended loaded rate is total loaded hourly cost divided by total attendees. Direct meeting time and each added-time block are converted to people-hours before cost is calculated.

C_{meeting} = \frac{H_{L}}{A} \times (\frac{A d}{60} + \sum_{j}^{m} \frac{t_{j} b_{j}}{60})

Meeting cost formula symbols
Symbol	Meaning	Unit
`c_i`	Attendee count in role row `i`	people
`r_i`	Hourly rate for role row `i`	currency per hour
`L`	Loaded-rate multiplier, from 1.00 to 2.00	ratio
`A`	Total attendees	people
`d`	Meeting duration	minutes
`t_j`	Minutes in preparation, follow-up, or recovery block `j`	minutes
`b_j`	Basis factor: attendee count for per-attendee time, otherwise 1	ratio

Annual cost is per-meeting cost multiplied by meetings per year; monthly cost is annual cost divided by 12. The preset yearly counts are one-time 1, daily 260, weekly 52, biweekly 26, monthly 12, and quarterly 4. Custom recurrence accepts 1 to 10,000 meetings per year.

The comparison reuses the current blended loaded rate, added-time minutes, time bases, loaded multiplier, and recurrence. It changes only the comparison attendee count and duration. Per-attendee added time therefore scales with the comparison headcount, while total added time does not.

Rule Core:

Meeting review rules and exact boundaries
Review cue	Condition	Meaning
High minute burn	Cost per elapsed minute ≥ 25 currency units	Review duration and required attendance.
High recurring footprint	Annual cost ≥ 10,000 or annual people-hours ≥ 200	The cadence deserves a deliberate review.
Outcome unset	Outcome count = 0	No meaningful cost-per-outcome interpretation is available.
High outcome cost	Cost per outcome > 500 currency units	Check that the outcome definition and count are appropriate.

The calculation keeps full numeric precision. Currency and hour formatting are presentation choices; the model does not perform exchange-rate conversion or infer taxes, benefits, or overhead.

Limitations:

This is a labor-planning estimate, not payroll, accounting, or financial advice. Results depend on the chosen rate basis and on honest estimates of hidden work. Compare alternatives with the same assumptions, and keep meetings whose value comes from risk reduction, coordination, or decisions even when that value cannot be reduced to an outcome count.