AltF Minutes

Meeting cost calculator

A meeting's people cost is the number of attendees times their hourly rate times its length. Add roles with different rates, optional overhead and prep time, and how often it repeats, and see the cost per meeting, per month and per year, or run the live meter while the meeting happens.

  • Free, no sign-up
  • Nothing uploaded
  • No AI rewriting
  • Works on mobile

The formula

Cost per meeting = sum over roles of (people x hourly rate x (1 + overhead %)) x (length + prep time) / 60. Yearly cost = cost per meeting x meetings per month x 12. Example: 6 people at 45 per hour for 60 minutes is 270 per meeting, or 12,960 a year if it happens weekly (4 times a month).

Ways to cut meeting cost

  • Invite only the people who must decide or do; send minutes to the rest.
  • Shorten the default slot: 25 or 50 minutes instead of 30 or 60.
  • Replace status updates with a written standup.
  • End early when the agenda is done.
  • Review recurring meetings every quarter and cancel the ones nobody misses.

Meeting cost calculator: questions and answers

What hourly rate should I use?

Use what you know: actual hourly pay, or annual salary divided by working hours (the calculator converts using 40 hours x 52 weeks). Add overhead if you want the fully loaded cost.

Is this the true cost of a meeting?

It is the cost of attendees' time only. It does not count lost focus time, room or software costs, or the value the meeting creates.

Are my numbers stored?

No. The calculation runs in the page and nothing is saved or sent.

What to put in meeting minutes, and what to leave out

Include

  • Meeting name, date, time and place or link
  • Who chaired and who took the notes
  • Attendees and apologies (and quorum, for boards)
  • The purpose or agenda, item by item
  • A short summary of each discussion, not a transcript
  • Every decision, worded exactly as agreed (motions with mover, seconder and vote for boards)
  • Action items with one owner and a due date each
  • Open questions and parked topics
  • Date of the next meeting

Leave out

  • Word-for-word chatter and side conversations
  • Personal opinions, jokes or emotional remarks
  • Who said what in a heated debate, unless the record requires it
  • Confidential or legal advice that belongs in a separate privileged record
  • Guesses about owners or deadlines nobody actually stated

Templates and guides

All of AltF MinutesTranscript extractor, templates, agenda timer, tracker and cost calculator.Meeting minutes templateFree meeting minutes template you fill in online: team, board, standup, 1:1, kickoff, retro and client formats. Export to Docs, Word, PDF or Markdown.How to write meeting minutesHow to write meeting minutes before, during and after the meeting: what to include, what to leave out, an example and a free template you can fill in.Transcript to minutesPaste a Zoom, Teams or Google Meet transcript and get minutes: decisions, action items with owners and due dates, questions and risks. Nothing is uploaded.MOM formatMOM full form, the standard minutes of meeting format, a sample MOM in business English and a free template to fill in and email in minutes.Board meeting minutesFree board meeting minutes template with call to order, quorum, approval of prior minutes, motions, votes and adjournment. Fill in online and export.Nonprofit, HOA and club minutesSimple meeting minutes template for nonprofits, HOAs, PTAs, clubs and churches: attendance, quorum, reports, motions, votes and actions. Free, no sign-up.Action items templateWrite action items that get done: one owner, a verb and a due date. Free action items template and tracker with owner filters and CSV export.Meeting agenda templateFree meeting agenda template with time allocation: start and end times for each item, an overrun warning and a live meeting timer. Turns into minutes in one click.Meeting minutes examplesMeeting minutes examples you can copy: team meeting, board meeting, client call, standup and project kickoff, with decisions and action items done right.Standup meeting notesFree daily standup notes template: yesterday, today and blockers for each person, a 15-minute agenda timer and blocker actions you can track.One-on-one meeting notesFree one-on-one meeting notes template and 1:1 agenda: wellbeing, priorities, feedback both ways and growth, with agreed actions you can track.Project kickoff meetingFree project kickoff meeting template: goals, scope, roles, timeline, risks and communication plan, with a timed agenda and minutes you can export.Retrospective notesFree sprint retrospective template: what went well, what did not, ideas to try and agreed actions with owners. Includes a 45-minute retro agenda timer.Client meeting notesFree client meeting notes template: client needs, proposal, concerns, decisions and next steps, ready to paste into a follow-up email.

More free meeting tools

Plan the meeting

Before anyone joins.

During and after

Capture, summarise and follow up.

Time and cost

Keep meetings short and worth it.

AltF Minutes runs in your browser. Transcripts are never uploaded; only your minutes draft and action list are kept, in this browser's local storage.