Hourly to Salary

What This Calculator Gives You

You just got a job offer at $28 per hour. Sounds reasonable — but what does that actually mean per year? Per month? Per paycheck?

This calculator converts any hourly wage into annual, monthly, bi-weekly, weekly, and daily salary equivalents. You set the hours per week and weeks per year, because not every job is 40 hours × 52 weeks. A teacher working 38 hours × 42 weeks has a very different annual income than a nurse working 36 hours × 50 weeks, even at the same hourly rate.

No tax deductions, no benefit estimates, no bonus projections. Just the raw conversion from hourly to salary so you can compare offers, budget your income, or understand what your time is worth.

Hourly Pay vs Annual Salary

Hourly pay and annual salary are two ways of describing the same income — but the number that matters depends on what you're doing with it.

Hourly rates tell you what your time is worth per unit. If you make $30/hour and work 40 hours, you earned $1,200 that week. Annual salary tells you what you earn over a full year, which is what matters for rent budgets, loan applications, and comparing jobs that quote compensation differently.

The conversion is simple: Annual salary = Hourly rate × Hours per week × Weeks per year

At $30/hour, 40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year: $62,400. But drop to 37.5 hours/week (common in government and nonprofit roles) and you're at $58,500 — nearly $4,000 less per year at the same hourly rate. The rate didn't change. The schedule did.

This is why two jobs paying "the same hourly rate" can produce very different annual incomes. Always convert to annual before comparing.

Example Calculation: $30/hour, 40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year

A $30/hour full-time worker earns $5,200 per month before taxes. After federal income tax and FICA (roughly 20–25% for a single filer at this income), take-home is approximately $4,000–$4,200/month.

Why Hours and Weeks Matter

Most salary comparisons assume 40 hours/week and 52 weeks/year. Reality is rarely that clean.

Hours per week variations:

• 40 hours — standard full-time in private sector
• 37.5 hours — government, education, many nonprofits (unpaid lunch)
• 36 hours — some healthcare shifts (three 12-hour shifts)
• 35 hours — some European-style schedules

At $25/hour, the difference between 35 and 40 hours is $6,500/year:

• 35 hours × 52 weeks = $45,500
• 40 hours × 52 weeks = $52,000

Weeks per year variations:

• 52 weeks — no unpaid time off
• 50 weeks — 2 weeks unpaid vacation
• 48 weeks — 4 weeks unpaid time off
• 42 weeks — teachers (summer break, spring break, winter break)

At $30/hour × 40 hours, the difference between 52 and 48 weeks is $4,800/year. That's a 7.7% pay cut disguised as "time off."

Full-Time, Part-Time, and Unpaid Time Off

Full-time (40 hours × 52 weeks). The standard baseline. $25/hour = $52,000/year. This is what most salary comparisons quote.

Part-time (20 hours × 52 weeks). Same rate, half the hours. $25/hour = $26,000/year. Benefits are usually not included, making the total compensation gap even wider.

Full-time with unpaid vacation (40 hours × 50 weeks). Two weeks off without pay drops $25/hour from $52,000 to $50,000. If the employer doesn't offer paid time off, you need to factor that into your annual budget — you're living on 50 weeks of income over 52 weeks of expenses.

Seasonal or contract work (40 hours × 40 weeks). Construction, agriculture, and seasonal retail often run 8–10 months. $25/hour × 40 hours × 40 weeks = $40,000. That has to cover 12 months of living expenses. The effective monthly income is $3,333, not the $4,333 you'd earn if the same rate applied year-round.

Teachers (37.5 hours × 42 weeks). A teacher earning $35/hour doesn't make $35 × 40 × 52 = $72,800. They make $35 × 37.5 × 42 = $55,125. That's a $17,675 difference from the naive calculation — which is why teacher salary comparisons are so often misleading.

Hourly vs Salary Job Offers

A company offers you $60,000/year salaried. Another offers $32/hour. Which pays more?

It depends entirely on hours and weeks:

• $32/hour × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $66,560 — the hourly job pays $6,560 more
• $32/hour × 37.5 hours × 52 weeks = $62,400 — the hourly job pays $2,400 more
• $32/hour × 40 hours × 50 weeks = $64,000 — still $4,000 more
• $32/hour × 40 hours × 48 weeks = $61,440 — barely $1,440 more

But salary positions often come with paid time off, health insurance, retirement contributions, and other benefits. The hourly worker who takes 2 weeks off earns $64,000 instead of $66,560. The salaried worker takes the same 2 weeks and still earns $60,000. The gap shrinks to $4,000 — and may disappear entirely after benefits.

To see the full picture including taxes, run both numbers through AfterTaxSalaryCalc.com. To factor in benefits and bonuses, use TotalCompCalc.com.

Real-World Scenarios

• The retail worker going full-time. You've been working 25 hours/week at $16/hour ($20,800/year). A full-time offer at the same rate (40 hours × 50 weeks) gives you $32,000 — an $11,200 increase. After taxes, you keep roughly $8,800 more per year. That's $733/month additional in your budget.
• The freelancer comparing to a staff job. You bill $75/hour and work about 1,500 hours/year (roughly 29 hours/week × 52 weeks). That's $112,500 gross. A staff position offers $95,000 salaried. On paper, freelancing pays $17,500 more — but you're paying self-employment tax (an extra 7.65%), your own health insurance ($6,000–$12,000/year), and have no paid time off. Use FreelanceIncomeCalc.com for the full freelance breakdown.
• The overtime question. You make $22/hour and your employer offers time-and-a-half overtime. At 50 hours/week × 50 weeks: base pay is $44,000, plus 10 overtime hours/week at $33/hour = $16,500 in overtime. Total: $60,500. Use OvertimePayCalc.com for detailed overtime calculations.
• The contract-to-hire decision. A 6-month contract at $45/hour (40 hours × 26 weeks) = $46,800. A permanent role at $80,000/year. The contract pays more in the short term ($46,800 vs $40,000 for 6 months), but the permanent role includes benefits worth $10,000–$15,000/year and continues after the contract ends. Over 12 months, permanent wins by $33,200–$38,200 if the contract isn't renewed.
• The teacher comparing to private sector. A teacher earning $55,000/year works roughly 42 weeks. That's an effective rate of about $32.74/hour at 37.5 hours/week. A private-sector job at $35/hour × 40 hours × 50 weeks = $70,000 — but without summer break. The teacher trades $15,000 in annual income for 10 weeks off.

How to Use These Numbers

• Comparing job offers. Convert every offer to the same basis — annual salary at 40 hours × 52 weeks — before comparing. An hourly rate without hours isn't a complete offer.
• Budgeting your income. Use the monthly figure, not annual, for rent and expense planning. And use the weeks-you-actually-work number, not 52, if you have unpaid time off.
• Negotiating rate vs hours. If an employer can't increase your hourly rate, ask for more hours. Going from 35 to 40 hours/week at $25/hour adds $6,500/year — equivalent to a $1.25/hour raise at 40 hours.
• Deciding between hourly and salaried. Calculate the hourly equivalent of the salary (salary ÷ hours ÷ weeks), then compare rates. A $60,000 salary at 40 hours × 50 weeks = $30/hour. A $60,000 salary at 45 hours × 52 weeks = $25.64/hour — the longer hours reduce your effective rate by 14.5%.

FAQ

How do I calculate my hourly rate from an annual salary?

Divide your annual salary by the total hours you work per year. For a standard 40-hour week over 52 weeks, that's 2,080 hours. A $60,000 salary ÷ 2,080 = $28.85/hour.

What if I work overtime?

This calculator uses a flat hourly rate. For overtime at 1.5× pay, use OvertimePayCalc.com.

Does this include taxes?

No. All figures are pre-tax. Use AfterTaxSalaryCalc.com to see after-tax salary.

What about benefits?

Benefits aren't included in this conversion. Use TotalCompCalc.com for total compensation comparisons.

Data Sources

• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA): Defines the federal minimum wage, overtime eligibility, and the 40-hour standard workweek in the United States
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): Reports median hourly earnings by occupation and industry — Current Population Survey (CPS)
• Standard payroll periods: 52 weeks/year, 26 bi-weekly pay periods, 12 monthly pay periods — per U.S. payroll convention
• Work hour baselines: 40 hours/week (FLSA standard), 37.5 hours/week (government/nonprofit standard with unpaid lunch), 2,087 hours/year (federal employee average per OPM)

Limitations

Gross income only. All figures are pre-tax. Use AfterTaxSalaryCalc.com to see after-tax salary at any income level.

No overtime calculation. This tool uses a single hourly rate for all hours. If you work overtime at a higher rate, use OvertimePayCalc.com for accurate totals.

No benefits included. Health insurance, retirement contributions, and paid leave aren't factored. Use TotalCompCalc.com for full compensation comparisons.

Assumes consistent schedule. The calculator uses fixed hours per week and weeks per year. If your schedule varies (on-call, seasonal spikes), use a weighted average.

No state or local differences. Minimum wage, overtime rules, and benefit mandates vary by state. This tool doesn't account for jurisdiction-specific requirements.

Daily rate uses 5-day week. Daily salary = hourly rate × (hours per week ÷ 5). If you work 4 days/week, the daily rate shown won't match your actual daily earnings.

Not financial advice. This is a conversion tool. Consult a financial advisor or compensation specialist for career decisions.