How the conversion works
There is no estimation in this tool — it is the same arithmetic payroll uses. Your hourly rate times your weekly hours gives the week; the week times your paid weeks gives the year; the year divides into months and paychecks.
annual gross = hourly rate × hours per week × paid weeks per yearWhy 2,080 hours is the standard — and when it misleads
The figure you see everywhere, hourly × 2,080, is just 40 hours × 52 weeks. It is right for a full-time, year-round job and wrong for everyone else. At 32 hours a week the same rate produces 20% less; a seasonal job with 8 unpaid weeks produces 15% less. Enter your real schedule and the difference is visible immediately.
Worked example · $22 an hour, 40 hours, 52 weeks
- $22 × 40 hours = $880 a week.
- $880 × 52 weeks = $45,760 a year (2,080 hours).
- That is $3,813 a month, or $1,760.00 per biweekly paycheck.
From gross salary to take-home
Everything here is gross pay — what the employer advertises, not what reaches your account. When you are comparing an hourly offer against a salaried one, convert first, then run the annual figure through the salary calculator to see the take-home, or the take-home pay calculator for the full deduction story. If your week includes overtime, the overtime calculator prices the premium hours first.
What’s included, and what isn’t
Every figure this calculator produces is an estimate. Here is exactly what it accounts for, and what it does not.
What’s included
- Exact conversion of an hourly rate to weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, monthly and annual gross pay.
- Your real schedule: any hours per week from 1 to 168, and unpaid weeks if you have them.
- The annual hours behind the conversion, shown so you can check the working.
What’s not included
- Federal, state and payroll taxes — this is gross pay, not take-home. Use the salary calculator for that.
- Overtime premiums. The overtime calculator handles time-and-a-half.
- Bonuses, tips, commissions and benefits.
- Paid time off accrual and holiday pay rules, which vary by employer.
What this calculator assumes
- Multiplies your hourly rate by the hours and paid weeks you enter — nothing is estimated.
- Uses the standard 52-week year by default; 40 hours × 52 weeks is the common 2,080-hour convention.
- Biweekly is two working weeks; semi-monthly is the annual figure divided by 24. They differ.
- All results are gross pay. Taxes and deductions come out afterwards.
Sources
Every rate and threshold above is transcribed from a primary source and re-checked on the date shown.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an hourly rate to an annual salary?
Multiply the hourly rate by the hours you work per week, then by the weeks you are paid per year. The common shortcut — hourly rate × 2,080 — assumes 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. This calculator uses your actual hours instead, which matters a lot at 32 or 50 hours a week.
How much is $22 an hour per year?
At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, $22 an hour is $45,760 a year — $3,813 a month, or $880 a week, all before taxes and deductions.
Is the result before or after tax?
Before. This tool converts pay rates; it does not estimate deductions. Once you have the annual figure, the salary calculator estimates federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare on it — the result panel links straight there with your number filled in.
What is the difference between biweekly and semi-monthly?
Biweekly means every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year. Semi-monthly means twice a month — 24 paychecks a year. On the same salary a semi-monthly paycheck is slightly larger, because the year is split into fewer of them. The calculator shows both.
What if I do not work 52 weeks a year?
Open “Adjust assumptions” and lower the paid weeks. Seasonal work, unpaid leave or a contract gap all reduce annual pay in a way the 2,080-hour shortcut hides — a 46-week year at 40 hours is 1,840 paid hours, about 12% less.