Meeting cost predictor
Turn average salary into an approximate hourly rate (2000 hours/year), then multiply by headcount and meeting length. Extend to weekly and yearly cost using how often similar meetings happen. Private, instant, in your browser.
What this means
Meetings are not “free” once you price senior time. This tool gives a directional dollar signal using only salary and duration—enough to decide whether async updates, shorter agendas, or fewer attendees would pay for themselves. It will not match finance’s fully loaded numbers, which add benefits, equipment, and office cost.
When the per-meeting number feels high, that is often the point: recurring one-hour syncs with large groups compound into six-figure yearly spend even at mid-market salaries. The weekly and yearly lines assume your “meetings per week” input is representative—if some weeks are heavier, average over a month instead.
What you should do next
- Compare this estimate to the value produced—if the cost exceeds the decision quality, tighten scope.
- Try lowering headcount or time in the inputs and watch the single-meeting cost drop.
- Share the methodology (not necessarily the exact number) when proposing fewer meetings—finance teams respect loaded cost, but directionally this still helps.
What-if scenarios
- Halve the duration — cost scales linearly with hours, so a 30-minute slot is about half the one-hour result with the same attendees.
- Remove two people — multiply the per-meeting cost by (N−2)/N to approximate savings.
- Switch one weekly sync to async — set meetings per week one lower; yearly cost drops by about 52 × single meeting cost.
Common mistakes
- Using executive salaries in the average when most attendees are junior—skewing the average down is fairer.
- Forgetting prep time; add buffer hours if prep is material.
- Treating the number as precise—it is a teaching aid, not an invoice.
- Ignoring timezone overlap cost (fatigue) which this calculator does not price.
FAQ
Why divide salary by 2000?
It approximates 50 weeks × 40 hours. Adjust mentally if your firm uses 2080 hours or another basis.
Does this include benefits or overhead?
No—fully loaded cost is often 1.2–1.5× salary or more.
What if salaries differ a lot?
Use a weighted average or run separate scenarios for leadership vs ICs.