Meeting cost calculator for status meetings
This free meeting cost calculator estimates the value of time spent in recurring team meetings. Enter the number of people, the average hourly cost, meeting length and how often it happens. Use the result to decide which conversations need a meeting and which updates can be shared asynchronously.
Estimated weekly time cost$300
Estimated yearly time cost$15,600
Time value, not guaranteed savings. Assumes 52 weeks, full attendance and no holidays; does not include preparation time.
What the calculation means
A meeting has a time cost even when it has no direct invoice. The weekly estimate multiplies the number of attendees by their average hourly cost, the fraction of an hour spent together and the number of meetings per week. The yearly estimate multiplies that result by 52. This is a simple comparison tool, not an accounting calculation: it assumes the same attendance and schedule every week and does not subtract holidays, cancelled meetings or time off. It also excludes travel, preparation and follow-up work.
Use a realistic hourly cost
If you know your total employment cost, divide it by the paid hours in a typical year. That may include salary and employer expenses; use the same basis for everyone before you compare scenarios. If you only know salary, use salary and label the result accordingly. When several people have very different costs, an average is only a rough guide. Do not treat the estimate as a claim about anyone's productivity or the value of their work. A good meeting can be worth much more than its time cost.
Compare the meeting with an async check-in
For a recurring status meeting, ask what actually needs live discussion. A short written or voice update may be enough to learn what is planned, what was finished and what is blocked. You can then reserve live calls for decisions, sensitive conversations, disagreements and blockers that need the group. Not everyone needs to attend every discussion. Try removing just one routine update call from the schedule and observe whether people still get the information they need.
Do not confuse time cost with savings
The yearly figure is not money you automatically save by cancelling a meeting. People still work and still need coordination. It represents the value of the time that could be spent on something else. An async update also takes time to write and read. If a meeting is replaced with five disconnected follow-ups, the change may be worse. Measure the total time spent, whether blockers are resolved and whether people trust the new process before drawing conclusions.
A practical way to test a change
Start by choosing a recurring call whose main purpose is collecting updates. Agree on a concise check-in question, a time when answers are due and who will summarise the responses. Keep a way to escalate urgent blockers. For two weeks, compare the time spent preparing and reading updates against the time that the call used to take. Ask participants what was missed. Restore a live meeting if the discussion itself created value that the written process cannot replace.
Share the estimate with its assumptions
When you present a number to colleagues, include the number of attendees, hourly-cost assumption, meeting duration, frequency and the 52-week assumption. If the team works fewer weeks, adjust the yearly number before making a decision. This calculator keeps the inputs in a shareable link once Sunbrief has a custom domain. The link does not submit your figures to a server. Use the embed option to show the same calculator on another website with a credit link.
Frequently asked questions
- What counts as a status meeting?
- A recurring call mainly used for people to report progress, plans or blockers. It may still be useful when it includes decisions or collaborative problem-solving.
- Does the yearly estimate include vacations?
- No. It assumes 52 identical weeks. Reduce the number of working weeks yourself for a more realistic estimate.
- Does replacing a meeting save the whole amount?
- No. Async updates take time too, and a useful discussion may be worth the time spent in it.
- Do I need an account to use the calculator?
- No. The calculation happens in your browser without signing in.
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