Use a representative gross annual salary.
£
Free meeting cost estimator
Reveal the time cost of your meeting
Estimate the salary time represented by every attendee, the travel involved and the value of work that may be displaced.
Estimate the full time cost
Calculate the hidden cost of your meeting
Enter the average salary, number of attendees and time involved. Adjust the working-week and opportunity-cost assumptions to match your organisation.
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Load a meeting example
Use a realistic starting point, then edit every assumption.
Include everyone whose working time is committed.
People attending
Adjust in 15-minute increments from zero to 12 hours.
Meeting time
Adjust the total journey to and from the meeting in 15-minute increments.
Total travel time
Default: 40 hours. Adjust from 1 to 150 hours.
Weekly hours
Default: 50% of direct salary cost. Set this to zero to show direct cost only.
Estimated percentage
Estimated meeting cost
Direct salary cost
Opportunity cost
Hourly salary estimate
This is a planning estimate, not an accounting valuation. It excludes employer taxes, benefits, venue costs and any value created by the meeting.
Why meeting time matters
An hour in the diary is multiplied by attendance
A one-hour meeting with ten attendees uses ten working hours before preparation or travel is considered. Because this cost is spread across several salary budgets, it can remain less visible than a purchase or supplier invoice.
The calculator converts average annual salary into an estimated hourly rate, then applies it to the total time committed by the group. Opportunity cost is shown separately because it is an assumption about displaced work rather than a payroll expense.
Cost alone does not determine whether a meeting is worthwhile. A short decision meeting can prevent expensive delay, error or duplicated effort. Use the estimate to improve the purpose, attendance and structure of the meeting rather than assuming every meeting should be cancelled.
Improve meeting value
Test the purpose, people and process
Define the outcome
State the decision, plan or problem the meeting must resolve. Share information asynchronously when discussion is unnecessary.
Invite contributors
Include the people needed for evidence, authority and implementation, rather than everyone who might be interested.
Protect the finish time
Use a timed agenda, record decisions and give every action a named owner and deadline.
Understanding the estimate
Adjust the assumptions before sharing the result
Use a salary that reasonably represents the group. When pay varies widely, calculate separate groups or use a weighted average. Paid weekly hours affect the estimated hourly rate, so replace the 40-hour default with the employment pattern that applies.
The 50% opportunity-cost default is deliberately editable. Set it to zero when you want a conservative direct-cost estimate, or use a percentage supported by your own planning model. Record the assumptions with the result so another reader can reproduce it.
Common questions
Meeting cost calculator FAQs
The calculator divides average annual salary by 52 weeks and the selected paid weekly hours. It multiplies that hourly estimate by the number of attendees and the meeting plus combined travel time.
Opportunity cost represents an estimate of the value of other work not completed while people attend the meeting. The default adds 50% of direct salary cost, but you can edit the percentage or set it to zero.
Yes when travel occurs during paid working time or materially displaces other work. Enter the total journey to and from the meeting for an average attendee.
No. It excludes employer taxes, pension and benefit costs, venue hire, catering, technology and travel expenses. It also does not calculate the positive value created by a useful meeting.
The latest values are saved only in local browser storage on the current device. Nothing is submitted to Corporate Coach Group.