Meeting Cost Timer

How to use the meeting cost timer

1. Under Hourly rates, choose Several groups to enter each role separately, or One average rate for a quick estimate.
2. With Several groups, fill in a Role (optional), the number of People and their Hourly rate on each line. Add a group adds a line (up to 20) and Remove deletes one. With One average rate, enter the Number of attendees and the Average hourly rate.
3. Pick the Currency.
4. Click Start when the meeting begins. The large figure shows the Meeting cost so far, updated several times per second, along with the Elapsed time. Click Pause during a break and Resume to continue; Reset sets the timer back to zero.

Below the timer, Cost per minute and Cost per hour show how fast the meter runs, Attendees gives the head count, and Planned length (minutes) lets you see the cost of a meeting before it happens, for example 60 minutes or a 15-minute stand-up.

How the cost is calculated

The formula is simple:

Meeting cost = elapsed hours × Σ (number of people × hourly rate)

Example: two managers at 85 per hour and four developers at 55 per hour cost 2 × 85 + 4 × 55 = 390 per hour, which is 6.50 per minute. A 30-minute meeting therefore costs 195, and a weekly one-hour meeting with the same people costs over 20,000 a year.

The timer uses the browser’s monotonic clock, so the time stays accurate even if you switch tabs or the computer is busy. The cost is recalculated from the total elapsed time each time it refreshes, and it is rounded to the cent. If you change the rates or add a group while the timer runs, the whole elapsed time is recalculated with the new figures, as if those people had been there from the start.

Which hourly rate should you use?

• Salary only: divide the annual salary by the hours worked in a year. With 40 hours a week and 52 weeks, that is 2,080 hours, so a 90,000 salary is about 43.27 per hour.
• Fully loaded cost: employers also pay payroll taxes, benefits, pension contributions, equipment and office space. A common rule of thumb adds 25 % to 40 % to the salary. Use that figure if you want the real cost to the organization.
• Billable rate: for consultants or agencies, the rate you would bill a client is the opportunity cost of the meeting.

Rates never leave your device: the calculation happens entirely in your browser, so you can use real salaries in a sensitive meeting.

Tips for cheaper meetings

• Share the cost per minute at the start: it helps keep the agenda tight.
• Invite only the people who must decide or contribute; send notes to everyone else.
• Default to 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60.
• Compare the Planned length (minutes) cost with the value of the decision you expect.

This tool gives estimates, not financial advice. It measures payroll time only, not the value a meeting creates or the cost of interrupting deep work.