Meeting Cost Calculator
Cutting it to 30 minutes saves $9,477 a year.
How the meeting cost calculation works
Load the hourly pay
In June 2026, BLS data show benefits added 35% to wages at private firms with 1–49 workers and 43% across all private industry. $45 × 1.35 = $60.75 an hour.
Multiply by attendees and length
6 people × $60.75 × 1 hour = $364.50 for one meeting.
Multiply by how often it happens
Once a week for 52 weeks is $18,954 a year and 312 person-hours.
Worked example. Six people averaging $45 an hour, plus 35% for taxes and benefits, meet for an hour once a week. Each meeting costs $364.50, and the year costs $18,954. Cutting it to 30 minutes saves $9,477 a year.
Meeting Cost FAQ
How do I calculate the cost of a meeting?
Multiply the number of attendees by their average loaded hourly cost and by the meeting length in hours.
How do I get an hourly rate for salaried staff?
Divide the annual salary by 2,080 hours. A $93,600 salary is $45 an hour.
Why add taxes and benefits?
An hour of staff time costs the business more than the wage: employer payroll taxes, health cover, paid leave and retirement contributions come on top.
How much do benefits add to hourly pay?
In the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation for June 2026, private employers paid $32.82 an hour in wages and $14.07 in benefits, which is 43% on top of pay. At firms with 1–49 workers it was $27.88 and $9.76, or 35%. Use your own payroll figures if you have them.
How much does a weekly one-hour meeting cost a year?
With six people at $60.75 an hour loaded, $18,954. Halving the length halves the cost.
What does a meeting cost per minute?
Attendees × loaded hourly cost ÷ 60. Six people at $60.75 an hour cost $6.08 a minute, so every 10 extra minutes adds about $61.
What does the calculator leave out?
It counts paid time only. It does not count work that did not get done during the meeting, preparation time, travel or room costs.
Sources: BLS: Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (released 9 Sep 2026) · BLS ECEC Table 6: private industry by establishment size, June 2026