Hourly to Salary Calculator
Convert your hourly wage to annual salary. See yearly, monthly, biweekly, and weekly earnings.
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This calculator is for informational and educational purposes only. Results are estimates based on the information you provide and standard financial formulas. This is not financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor for decisions specific to your situation. Full Disclaimer
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Things to Know
Essential concepts for understanding your results
FormulaHow do you convert hourly wage to annual salary?
Annual Salary = Hourly Rate × Hours/Week × 52. At 40 hours/week: $15/hr = $31,200, $20/hr = $41,600, $25/hr = $52,000, $30/hr = $62,400, $50/hr = $104,000. For part-time workers, adjust the weekly hours. Remember that this is gross salary — after taxes and deductions, take-home is typically 65-75% of this figure depending on tax bracket, state, and benefit elections.
Overtime ImpactHow does overtime affect the conversion?
Federal law requires 1.5x pay for hours over 40/week for non-exempt workers. Regular pay of $25/hr becomes $37.50/hr for overtime. Working 45 hours/week consistently: (40 × $25) + (5 × $37.50) = $1,187.50/week × 52 = $61,750/year — $9,750 more than the standard 40-hour calculation. However, overtime is not guaranteed, so base your financial planning on the 40-hour figure.
Benefits ValueHow do you compare hourly jobs with salaried positions?
A $25/hour job with no benefits is not equivalent to a $52,000 salary with full benefits. The salaried position likely includes: employer health insurance ($6,000-15,000 value), 401(k) match ($2,000-5,000), paid time off ($4,000-8,000 value), and other perks. Total compensation on the salaried position may be $65,000-80,000. To match this as an hourly worker without benefits, you would need approximately $31-38/hour.
True Hourly WageWhat is your true hourly wage?
Your true hourly wage accounts for all work-related time and costs: add commute time to work hours, subtract commuting costs, work clothes, meals out, and childcare needed for work. A $25/hour job with a 1-hour daily commute, $200/month commuting costs, and $100/month in work clothes has a true hourly rate of about $20.50/hour when you factor in the unpaid commute time and expenses.
Converting Between Hourly and Annual Salary
The standard conversion assumes a full-time schedule of 2,080 hours per year (52 weeks × 40 hours). To convert hourly to annual: multiply by 2,080. To convert annual to hourly: divide by 2,080.
Common conversions:
$15/hour = $31,200/year. $20/hour = $41,600. $25/hour = $52,000. $30/hour = $62,400. $35/hour = $72,800. $40/hour = $83,200. $50/hour = $104,000. $75/hour = $156,000. $100/hour = $208,000.
These are gross figures — your actual take-home after federal tax, state tax, FICA, and deductions is typically 60-75% of gross. A $50/hour worker ($104,000 annual) takes home approximately $68,000-$78,000 depending on state, filing status, and pre-tax deductions.
For part-time workers, adjust the hours: 30 hours/week × 52 weeks = 1,560 annual hours. At $20/hour: $31,200 (part-time) vs $41,600 (full-time). Knowing the exact hours you work prevents over-estimating annual income from an hourly rate.
Your True Hourly Rate: What You Actually Earn Per Hour of Life
Your paycheck hourly rate and your true hourly rate are often dramatically different. The true rate accounts for all hours consumed by work — not just clock-in to clock-out, but commuting, getting ready, decompressing, and mandatory unpaid tasks.
Example: $80,000 salary → $38.46/hour at 2,080 hours. But factor in: 45-minute commute each way (7.5 hours/week), 30 minutes getting ready specifically for work (2.5 hours/week), working through lunch (2.5 hours/week), checking email on weekends (2 hours/week). True work-related hours: 54.5 hours/week × 50 weeks (accounting for PTO) = 2,725 hours. True hourly rate: $80,000 ÷ 2,725 = $29.36/hour — 24% less than the paycheck implies.
This true hourly rate is the metric to use when evaluating financial decisions. That $50 takeout dinner that saves an hour of cooking: is the hour worth $29.36 to you? The $15,000 car that requires a longer commute versus the $10,000 apartment closer to work: how many hours of commuting does $5,000 buy? Thinking in true hourly rate transforms how you value your time and money.
Salary vs Hourly: The Full Comparison
Beyond the rate, salary and hourly positions differ in benefits, overtime, flexibility, and job security:
Salaried advantages: Predictable income regardless of hours worked. Typically includes benefits (health insurance, 401k match, PTO, disability insurance). Higher perceived prestige for certain roles. May include bonus and equity compensation. Exempt from overtime (which can be both advantage and disadvantage).
Hourly advantages: Paid for every hour worked — overtime at 1.5x for hours over 40/week. Clear work-life boundary (when you clock out, you are done). Protected by wage and hour laws. Can increase earnings by working more hours. No expectation of unpaid after-hours work.
The overtime factor: An hourly worker at $25/hour who works 50 hours/week earns $25 × 40 = $1,000 regular + $37.50 × 10 = $375 overtime = $1,375/week ($71,500/year). A salaried worker earning $71,500 who works 50 hours/week effectively earns $71,500 ÷ (50 × 52) = $27.50/hour — less than the hourly worker's blended $26.44/hour WITH the added benefit of overtime protection.
When evaluating a salary-to-hourly switch (or vice versa): calculate the total compensation including benefits value. A $55,000 salary with employer-paid health insurance ($8,000 value), 401k match ($2,500), and 15 PTO days ($3,200 value) is effectively $68,700 — equivalent to $33/hour, not the $26.44 the salary implies.
Pay Period Conversions
Employers pay on different schedules, and the conversion math differs for each:
Weekly (52 paychecks/year): Annual ÷ 52 = weekly gross. $75,000 ÷ 52 = $1,442/week.
Biweekly (26 paychecks/year): Annual ÷ 26. $75,000 ÷ 26 = $2,885 per paycheck. Two months per year have 3 paychecks instead of 2 — plan for these "bonus" paychecks.
Semi-monthly (24 paychecks/year): Annual ÷ 24. $75,000 ÷ 24 = $3,125. Paid on fixed dates (1st and 15th, or 15th and last day). Every paycheck is the same amount.
Monthly (12 paychecks/year): Annual ÷ 12. $75,000 ÷ 12 = $6,250. Least frequent — requires the most budget discipline between paychecks.
Important distinction: Biweekly and semi-monthly are NOT the same. Biweekly produces 26 checks (some months have 3); semi-monthly produces 24 checks (always 2 per month). If budgeting on a biweekly schedule, use the 2-paycheck amount for monthly budgeting and treat the 2 extra paychecks as bonus savings opportunities.
Frequently Asked Questions
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