Salary Calculator
Convert annual salary to hourly, monthly, or biweekly pay.
Results update as you type.
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How it works
Salary conversion translates your annual compensation into equivalent rates at different pay periods, which is essential for comparing job offers, negotiating raises, evaluating contract work, and building a realistic budget. This salary calculator performs four core conversions: annual to hourly (dividing by total annual work hours), monthly gross (dividing by 12), biweekly gross (dividing by 26 pay periods), and weekly. The hourly rate is particularly useful for salaried workers who want to evaluate their time against contractor rates or freelance opportunities. A standard full-time year in the US is 2,080 hours (52 weeks × 40 hours), which is the default denominator. If your schedule differs — a 37.5-hour week common in some white-collar roles gives 1,950 hours — adjust accordingly to get the accurate effective rate. When comparing a salaried offer to a contract rate, remember that employees receive additional benefits value beyond salary: employer health insurance contributions (often $6,000–$15,000 annually), employer 401k match, paid time off, and payroll taxes the employer covers. A contractor must earn substantially more per hour to net the equivalent total compensation. Running each figure through this salary calculator puts every offer on a common annual basis so comparisons are truly apples to apples.
Hourly = annual / (weeks × hours/week); Monthly = annual / 12; Biweekly = annual / 26
Total annual work hours = weeks per year × hours per week (default 52 × 40 = 2,080). Hourly = annual salary ÷ total hours. Monthly = annual ÷ 12. Biweekly = annual ÷ 26 (26 pay periods of two weeks each). Weekly = annual ÷ weeks per year. All conversions assume consistent year-round employment at the stated hours without adjusting for holidays, vacation, or sick days.
Source:Standard salary-to-hourly conversion
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter annual salary.
- 2
Adjust the options
Adjust hours per week and weeks per year if they apply — sensible defaults are already set.
- 3
Read your result
Hourly rate updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
How many work hours are in a year?
The standard full-time work year in the US is 2,080 hours, derived from 52 weeks × 40 hours per week. This is the denominator used to convert annual salary to hourly rate. However, if your actual hours differ — a 37.5-hour week common in some white-collar jobs gives 1,950 annual hours; a 45-hour week gives 2,340 — the effective hourly rate changes accordingly. This matters when comparing a salaried offer to a contractor rate quoted by the hour.
What is the difference between gross and net pay?
Gross pay is your salary or wages before any deductions. Net pay — your take-home — is what reaches your bank account after your employer withholds federal and state income taxes, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), any pre-tax benefit contributions (health insurance, FSA, 401k), and any post-tax deductions. The gap between gross and take-home surprises many people; a $5,000 monthly gross may translate to $3,400–$3,800 take-home depending on tax bracket, state, and benefits. Always budget from take-home, not gross.
How do I compare a salaried job to a contractor rate?
As a salaried employee, your true compensation exceeds your salary by the value of benefits: employer health insurance (often $6,000–$15,000 per year), employer 401k match (often 3–6% of salary), paid vacation (roughly 10 days = 3.85% of salary), and payroll taxes the employer pays on your behalf (7.65% FICA). To compare a $75,000 salary with $20,000 in benefits to a contractor rate, the contractor needs to earn roughly $95,000+ before covering self-employment tax and buying their own benefits.
Is my hourly rate the same as my billing rate?
No — for contractors and freelancers, the billing rate must cover overhead and non-billable time in addition to the target take-home pay. Non-billable time (proposals, admin, professional development, vacation) typically consumes 15–30% of working hours. Self-employment tax adds 15.3% on top of income taxes. Benefits you must buy yourself (health, dental, disability) add more. A freelancer targeting a $100,000 income needs a billing rate of $75–$100/hour depending on hours billed, overhead, and tax situation.
What is a competitive salary for my field?
Salary ranges vary widely by role, industry, location, experience, and employer size. For benchmarking, use the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, which publishes median and percentile wages by occupation and region. Commercial sources like Glassdoor, Levels.fyi (tech), and LinkedIn Salary provide employer-specific data crowdsourced from employees. When negotiating, research your specific metro area — a software engineer's market rate in San Francisco is 60–80% higher than the national median.