The standard conversions
A U.S. full-time work year is 2,080 hours — 40 hours × 52 weeks. That single number drives every other conversion. Multiply the hourly rate by 2,080 for annual gross. Divide annual by 12 for a monthly figure, by 24 for semi-monthly (twice a month), by 26 for biweekly (every two weeks), or by 52 for weekly. Biweekly and semi-monthly are not the same — biweekly gives you 26 checks a year, semi-monthly gives 24, and the check sizes differ.
Worked example
A software engineer paid $52 per hour, 40 hours per week: 52 × 2,080 = $108,160 annual gross. Monthly = $9,013.33. Biweekly = $4,160. Semi-monthly = $4,506.67. If the same person takes two weeks of unpaid leave, effective annual pay drops to $52 × 2,000 = $104,000.
| Hourly | Weekly | Biweekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $600 | $1,200 | $2,600 | $31,200 |
| $25 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $4,333 | $52,000 |
| $40 | $1,600 | $3,200 | $6,933 | $83,200 |
| $60 | $2,400 | $4,800 | $10,400 | $124,800 |
| $100 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $17,333 | $208,000 |
Gross pay is not what lands in your account
Every conversion here is in gross — pre-tax, pre-deduction. Take-home (net) pay is smaller after federal income tax, state income tax (in most states), Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and often 401(k), health insurance, HSA, and other pre-tax deductions. In the U.S., FICA alone shaves 7.65% off gross for most workers. As a very rough guide, take-home lands at 70%–80% of gross for typical salaried workers earning under $150k.
Overtime, bonuses, and non-exempt workers
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees earn 1.5× their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. A $20/hour worker earns $30/hour for overtime — 5 overtime hours a week bumps annual gross from $41,600 to $49,400. Exempt (salaried professional, administrative, or executive) workers typically don't receive overtime pay. Bonuses, commissions, and 13th-month payments should be added to annual gross when calculating your effective rate — a $75,000 base with a $10,000 bonus is really $85,000.
What the job actually costs your employer
Your gross salary is not what the company spends on you. Employers pay the matching half of FICA (7.65%), federal and state unemployment insurance, workers' comp premiums, benefits, and often a 401(k) match. Rule of thumb: an employer's true cost is 1.25× to 1.4× your base salary. On a $100,000 salary, the fully-loaded cost typically lands between $125,000 and $140,000.
Common scenarios
- Freelance/contract → factor 20%–30% off headline rates for self-employment tax and lack of benefits.
- Part-time → multiply hourly rate by actual weekly hours × 52.
- Salaried with unpaid PTO → divide annual pay by actual paid weeks worked.
- New-grad offer with equity → treat vested equity as annualized cash and add it to the base for real comparison.
How to use this salary calculator
- Enter any one pay figure — hourly, weekly, monthly, or annual.
- Confirm the hours per week (default 40) matches your schedule.
- Read every other conversion in the results panel.
- For take-home pay after tax, use the income tax calculator with your state and filing status.
When these numbers won't match your paycheck
Tipped roles (servers, bartenders) are paid a lower base under FLSA rules with tips making up the difference. Commission-only or piece-rate roles have no meaningful hourly figure. Overseas roles include or exclude social contributions differently — a €50,000 salary in Germany and a $55,000 salary in Texas are not directly comparable. When comparing job offers across states or countries, always adjust for cost of living and after-tax income, not just gross.
Related calculators
Follow this up with the income tax calculator to turn gross into take-home pay, the inflation calculator to see whether last year's salary keeps its purchasing power, the retirement calculator to size a 401(k) contribution against your gross, and the loan calculator to check how much of your monthly gross can safely service debt.