Hourly to Salary Calculator — Convert Pay

What this calculator does

Job offers come in two dialects — “$22 an hour” and “$55,000 a year” — and comparing them by feel is how people leave money on the table. This calculator translates fluently in both directions, with the two assumptions that actually move the answer (hours per week, weeks worked per year) exposed as inputs instead of buried as defaults. Every conversion returns the full breakdown: hourly, daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, and annual, so any pay stub or offer letter can be checked line against line.

How the math works

One multiplication chain, run forward or backward:

annual = hourly × hours per week × weeks per year

hourly = annual ÷ (hours per week × weeks per year)

The derived figures follow directly: weekly = hourly × hours; biweekly = 2 × weekly; monthly = annual ÷ 12. That monthly division is worth noting — months aren’t four weeks, so monthly pay is not biweekly × 2. A $45,760 annual salary is $3,813.33 monthly but $1,760 biweekly (×26 = $45,760, not ×24).

A worked example

$22 an hour, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks:

Weekly: 22 × 40 = $880
Annual: 880 × 52 = $45,760
Monthly: 45,760 ÷ 12 = $3,813.33
Biweekly: $1,760 (26 pay periods)

Now the honest version with two weeks unpaid vacation (50 weeks): annual drops to $44,000 — $1,760 less, exactly the two missing paychecks. Reverse direction: a $55,000 salary at 40/52 works out to $26.44 an hour; the same salary at a realistic 45 hours a week is $23.50. The gap between those two hourly figures is what “salaried flexibility” sometimes costs.

Practical tips

Compare offers on annual gross, decide on hourly reality. Annualize both offers for the apples-to-apples number, then divide each by the hours the role actually demands. A higher salary at longer hours can be a pay cut in disguise.
Ask how many weeks you’re really paid for. Hourly roles with seasonal gaps, unpaid shutdowns, or variable schedules can lose 2–6 weeks a year. Set weeks-per-year to your realistic figure, not 52, before comparing against a salaried offer.
Benchmark before negotiating. The BLS wage data (linked below) publishes percentile wages by occupation and metro area — knowing the 75th percentile for your role turns “I’d like more” into “market range for this work is X.”
Mind exempt vs. non-exempt status. Moving from hourly (non-exempt, overtime-eligible) to salaried (often exempt) means hours 41+ become free to your employer. If overtime is routine in the role, price that into the salary you’d accept.

The 2,080 shortcut, and when it misleads

For quick mental math, hourly × 2,000 ≈ annual (it assumes 50 weeks and rounds kindly): $25/hour ≈ $50,000. The shortcut fails exactly where real decisions live — part-time schedules, unpaid leave, compressed weeks, and overtime-heavy roles. Those cases are why this calculator lets you set both assumptions explicitly. For jobs with regular overtime, the true annual figure needs the 1.5× math applied to your actual extra hours; for measuring what your total financial position gains from a raise, the savings goal and retirement calculators show what each additional dollar per hour becomes over time.

Frequently asked questions

Why do people multiply hourly wages by 2,080?

2,080 is 40 hours × 52 weeks — the standard full-time year with no unpaid time off. It's the assumption behind most quick conversions ($20/hour ≈ $41,600). If you take two weeks unpaid, use 50 weeks; if you work 37.5-hour weeks, adjust the hours. This calculator exposes both knobs instead of hiding the assumption.

Is a $60,000 salary the same as $28.85 an hour?

Only at exactly 40 hours, 52 weeks. If the salaried role actually demands 50-hour weeks, the true rate is $23.08 — 20% less per hour of your life. Running the salary-to-hourly direction with honest hours is one of the most clarifying exercises when comparing a salaried offer against hourly work.

Does this account for taxes?

No — every figure is gross (pre-tax) pay, which is how offers are quoted. Take-home pay depends on federal and state withholding, FICA, and your benefits elections. Comparing two gross offers with this tool is valid because taxes apply to both; just don't mistake the annual figure for what lands in your bank account.

How do benefits change the comparison?

Substantially. Employer health premiums, retirement matching, and paid time off are compensation that hourly roles often lack. When comparing an hourly contract against a salaried job, a common adjustment is to value benefits at 20–30% of base salary — a $60,000 salary with benefits can outrank a $33/hour contract ($68,640 gross) once insurance and a 401(k) match enter the math.

What about overtime?

This calculator models straight-time pay. Under the federal FLSA, non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5× their regular rate past 40 hours a week, which changes annual income significantly for anyone working regular overtime — that deserves its own calculation with your actual overtime hours.