Fraternity Formal Cost Calculator

How does the calculator work?

The calculator adds up every shared cost, adds your contingency, and divides by the people paying. Here's the exact math, so you can check it by hand:

1. Rooms = members plus dates, divided by people per room, rounded up.
2. Lodging = rooms × nightly rate × nights.
3. Venue and dinner = price per guest × guests × (1 + service charge) × (1 + tax).
4. Total = lodging + venue + transportation + entertainment + photography + decor + other, × (1 + contingency).
5. Price per member = total ÷ members, or total ÷ everyone attending if dates pay their own share.

Every price is rounded up to the next whole dollar, so the chapter never collects less than it owes. The worked example below runs the same math on illustrative numbers.

What should you include in each input?

Use numbers from written quotes, with taxes and fees included:

• Hotel rate: the group rate per night including taxes and fees. Ask the hotel for the all-in number. The room block guide explains the contract.
• People per room: the hotel's occupancy limit, not the most people who could fit.
• Dinner per guest: the venue's per-guest price before service charge and tax, then enter those separately. See the venue guide.
• Transportation: the carrier's total quote, including the return trip and any overtime. See the charter bus guide.
• Other costs: anything shared that isn't already in a line — security staff, rentals or fees.

Leave alcohol out. Chapter funds can't buy it under FIPG-style policies.[1]

How do you price dates?

Choose one of two modes with the checkbox:

• Members cover their dates (the default): the total is divided by members only, so each member's price includes their date.
• Dates pay their own share: the total is divided by everyone attending, and each person pays the same amount.

Pick the mode before invitations go out and say it in the invitation. The date etiquette guide covers how to tell dates what they'll pay.

How much buffer should you add for dropouts?

Enough to cover what your contracts would still charge if some people cancel late. The contingency field adds a percentage to the total. The results also show the price per payer if a tenth of payers drop out after costs are committed. If that number is well above the price you're charging, your contracts carry real attrition risk.

Hotel contracts commonly carry attrition, and venue contracts set food-and-beverage commitments with damages if the group falls short.[4] The budget guide explains how to size the buffer.

How does the deposit schedule work?

Add each vendor deposit — what it's for, the vendor's due date and the amount — under Vendor deposits. The calculator then tells you what to collect from each payer, and by when:

• Each deposit is split evenly across the payers and rounded up to the dollar.
• Each installment is due a week before the vendor's date, so the chapter never fronts money it hasn't collected.
• The balance — the price per payer minus the installments — is due before your final vendor payments.

Pair it with the planning timeline to put every date on the chapter calendar.

Is my data private?

Yes. The calculator runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is stored, sent or seen by anyone else.