How do you budget a family reunion per person? Add the costs everyone shares, add a 10% buffer, and split the total across your guests by age group, with kids and teens paying a smaller share. The calculator below does the math, rounds each price up to a whole dollar, and shows what each guest pays with card fees and what you receive.
Every reunion budget ends with the same question: what do we charge? Enter your headcount and your quotes below. The numbers update as you type, nothing is sent anywhere, and nothing is saved when you leave the page.
Reunion Budget Calculator
Change any number. Results update as you type.
What to expect
Your results
- Shared costs
- Buffer
- $0.00
- Total budget
- $0.00
- Collected at these prices
- $0.00
| Age group | Count | Price | Guest pays | You receive |
|---|
Guests pay card processing (2.9% + 30¢), a 25¢ payout fee and a $2.50 handling fee once per balance, on top of the price. You receive 100% of the price you set.
01 / THE MATH
How Does the Reunion Budget Calculator Work?
It adds your shared costs and the buffer to get the total budget. Then it counts paying shares: each adult is one share, and each other group counts at its percentage. The total divided by the shares gives the adult price, and every price is rounded up to a whole dollar.
The formula
Total budget = shared costs × (1 + buffer %)
Paying shares = adults + (seniors × senior %) + (teens × teen %) + (kids × kid %) + (infants × infant %)
Price for a group = total budget ÷ paying shares × that group’s %, rounded up
The calculator opens with an example: 30 adults, 6 seniors, 8 teens, 10 kids and 4 infants, with $3,100 in shared costs. A 10% buffer adds $310, so the budget is $3,410. Seniors count at 85%, teens at 75% and kids at 50%, so paying shares are 30 + (6 × 0.85) + (8 × 0.75) + (10 × 0.5) = 46.1. $3,410 ÷ 46.1 = $73.97, so adults pay $74, seniors pay $63, teens pay $56, kids pay $37 and infants are free. Those prices collect $3,416, which is $6 more than the budget because of rounding.
02 / INPUTS
Which Costs Belong in the Calculator?
Enter only the costs the committee pays on behalf of everyone: venue, group meals, any lodging the committee books, supplies, and T-shirts if they come with the ticket. Leave out travel, hotel rooms each household books for itself, and optional outings that only some people join.
- Use quotes, not memory. Ask the venue and caterer for written quotes with tax and service charges included.
- Add a line for anything odd. Pavilion permits, a sound system or a photographer each get their own row with Add a cost.
- Count realistic heads. Enter the people you expect to come, not everyone you invite. A lower count raises the price per person, which is safer than a shortfall.
- Set the age bands first. Decide what “kid” and “teen” mean before you share prices, so nobody negotiates later.
For what dues usually cover and two longer worked budgets, read how much family reunion dues should be.
“Set the price from the bill, not from a guess. Then every family pays its share, and nobody covers the gap.”
03 / USING THE NUMBERS
What Should You Do With the Results?
Use the Price column as the amount you set for each age group. Put those prices, the deadline and the list of what they cover in the invitation. The Guest pays column shows the checkout total for one person paying alone. A household paying one balance pays the handling fee once, so its total is a little lower. Mention in the invitation that card fees are added at payment.
- Check the rounding. The “collected” line shows how far above the budget the whole-dollar prices land. Small overages add to your buffer.
- Try a second scenario. Lower the headcount by a few families and see how the price moves. If it jumps, your budget depends on full attendance.
- Copy or print the summary. Share it with the committee so everyone agrees on the numbers before invitations go out.
- Say what happens to a surplus. Rolling it into deposits for the next reunion is one simple choice.
Put These Prices on Your Reunion Site
Set a price for each age group once, and every household sees an estimate of its total as it RSVPs.
Launch My Reunion Site04 / FEES
What Will Guests Pay With Fees Added?
On AmazingReunion, guests pay card processing of 2.9% plus 30¢, a 25¢ payout fee and a $2.50 handling fee, charged once per balance, on top of the price. You receive 100% of the price you set. A free age group, such as infants, adds nothing to a household’s balance.
The guest total is (price + $0.30 + $2.50 + $0.25) ÷ (1 − 0.029), rounded to the cent. For a $75 ticket: $78.05 ÷ 0.971 = $80.38.
| Price you set | Guest pays | You receive |
|---|---|---|
| $20 | $23.74 | $20 |
| $40 | $44.34 | $40 |
| $75 | $80.38 | $75 |
| $100 | $106.13 | $100 |
Because you receive the full price, you don’t need to add fees into your budget lines. Payments go to your own Stripe account. For the full setup, see how to collect reunion fees online.
05 / PAYING IN PARTS
Can Relatives Pay in Parts?
Yes. On AmazingReunion, a household can pay part of its balance now and the rest later, with a $10 minimum per payment. Each extra payment adds about 57¢ in card processing. The $2.50 handling fee is charged once per balance, not once per payment.
Splitting helps larger households. A family of two adults and two kids at the example prices owes $74 + $74 + $37 + $37 = $222, which is easier to pay over two or three months. Open payments with the invitation and set a firm deadline a few weeks before the caterer needs a final count.
You Have the Numbers. Now Collect Them.
Price each age group, let households pay in full or in parts, and see who has paid at a glance.
Launch My Reunion SiteFree to start. Includes RSVP, Payments & Photo Sharing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate a family reunion budget per person?
Add up the costs everyone shares, add a buffer of about 10%, and divide by the number of paying people, counting kids and teens at a reduced share. Round each price up to a whole dollar so the total covers the budget.
What does a guest pay on top of the price I set?
On AmazingReunion, guests pay card processing (2.9% + 30¢), a 25¢ payout fee and a $2.50 handling fee once per balance. A $75 price costs the guest $80.38, and you receive the full $75.
Does the calculator save my numbers?
No. The calculator runs in your browser, sends nothing to a server and stores nothing. Use Copy summary or Print summary to keep a record before you close the page.
How big should the contingency buffer be?
The calculator starts at 10%, which covers a few late cancellations and small price changes. Raise it if your quotes are estimates rather than signed contracts, or if the caterer needs a final count long before the reunion.
Need real numbers to plug in? Our state guides list lodging, dining and activity costs per person. Start at the Reunion Planning Guides hub, or read how much family reunion dues should be.
Ken O.
Founder of AmazingReunion and veteran reunion organizer who has coordinated 50+ family gatherings across the US.
