Recurring Meeting Cost Calculator
Every meeting has a financial cost equal to the combined hourly wages of everyone in the room multiplied by the time spent. Most organisations have never calculated that number for their recurring meetings, which is why unnecessary meetings persist. This calculator takes the number of attendees, their average annual salary, the meeting duration in minutes, and how many times per year the meeting recurs, then returns the cost per meeting and the annual salary cost. Use it before scheduling recurring meetings and before deciding whether an existing one is worth its cost.
Meeting cost formula
Hourly rate per person = annual salary / 2,080
Combined hourly rate = attendees * hourly rate per person
Cost per meeting = combined hourly rate * (duration / 60)
Annual cost = cost per meeting * occurrences per year
Total person-hours/year = attendees * (duration / 60) * occurrences
The 2,080-hour denominator is the Bureau of Labor Statistics standard full-time year (40 hours/week, 52 weeks). All monetary outputs are in US dollars.
Reducing meeting costs
- Halve the attendee list. Every person removed saves their hourly rate times the annual recurrence.
- Shorten the duration. A 45-minute meeting costs 25% less than a 60-minute one, and rarely produces 25% worse outcomes.
- Reduce cadence. A bi-weekly meeting costs half what a weekly meeting does. Shift status updates to asynchronous tools and reduce frequency.
- Set clear agendas with time allocations. Meetings with agendas consistently end on time, reducing true duration.
- Cancel recurring meetings quarterly to review whether they still have clear purpose. Default to not rescheduling unless a specific need exists.
Meeting cost: frequently asked questions
How is meeting cost calculated?
The cost of one meeting equals the sum of each attendee's hourly rate multiplied by the meeting duration in hours. Hourly rates are derived from average annual salary divided by 2,080 working hours. The annualised cost multiplies one-meeting cost by the number of occurrences per year.
Why should organisations track meeting costs?
Research by the Harvard Business Review found that organisations routinely underestimate meeting costs because they do not account for the cumulative opportunity cost across all attendees. A weekly 60-minute meeting with 10 people each earning $80,000 costs about $20,000 per year in salary alone, before considering preparation time and lost productive flow.
Does this include preparation and follow-up time?
This calculator covers only the duration of the meeting itself. Most estimates suggest that effective meetings require 0.5 to 1 times the meeting duration in preparation and follow-up. To include that, multiply the meeting duration by 1.5 to 2 before entering it in the calculator.
What frequency values should I use?
Enter the number of times this meeting recurs per year. A weekly meeting has 52 occurrences, bi-weekly has 26, monthly has 12, and daily has 250 (approximate US business days). You can also enter custom values for irregular cadences.
Should overhead and benefits be added to the hourly rate?
Employer costs typically run 25-40% above base salary when benefits, payroll taxes, office costs, and overhead are included. To account for this, multiply the average salary by 1.3 before entering it, giving a fully-loaded cost estimate.
Official sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: American Time Use Survey.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 15 June 2026. See our methodology.