Why a salary number depends on more than the rate
"$30 an hour" and "$62,400 a year" describe the same job — but only if you work 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks. Change the hours or take unpaid time off and the two stop lining up. The honest way to compare an hourly offer with a salaried one is to convert both to the same frequency using your actual schedule, which is exactly what the levers above let you do.
The conversion math
Annual = hourly × hours/week × weeks/year
Every other frequency is derived from that annual figure: divide by 12 for monthly, by 26 for biweekly, by 24 for semimonthly, and by 52 for weekly. Semimonthly and monthly are tied to the calendar (24 and 12 paychecks), while biweekly and weekly follow the number of weeks you work.
What makes this calculator different
- Any direction, all at once. Most tools only go one way — hourly to annual. Enter any frequency here and get all eight in a single table.
- Biweekly ≠ semimonthly. We treat 26 biweekly paychecks and 24 semimonthly paychecks as the genuinely different numbers they are, instead of rounding them together.
- Your real hours count. Part-time hours and unpaid weeks change the answer, and the schedule inputs let you model them instead of assuming a rigid 2,080-hour year.
- Effective hourly rate. See what every hour you actually work averages out to — the number that makes salaried and hourly offers truly comparable.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert an hourly wage to an annual salary?+
Multiply your hourly rate by the hours you work each week, then by the number of weeks you work each year. At 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks, that is hourly × 2,080. So $30/hr becomes $62,400 a year. If you take unpaid time off, lower the weeks-per-year figure — working 50 paid weeks instead of 52 drops the same hourly rate to a lower annual total. This calculator does the math both ways and for every pay frequency at once.
What is the difference between biweekly and semimonthly pay?+
They sound alike but are not the same. Biweekly means every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year, since there are 52 weeks. Semimonthly means twice a month, usually on fixed dates like the 15th and the last day — always 24 paychecks a year. Because 26 is more than 24, a biweekly paycheck is slightly smaller than a semimonthly one for the same salary, and twice a year biweekly employees get a "third paycheck" month. The conversion table above shows both side by side.
Is this my take-home pay?+
No. Every figure here is gross pay — your pay before income tax, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and any deductions for retirement, health insurance, or other benefits. Your actual take-home pay will be lower. To estimate what lands in your bank account, use the income tax calculator, which applies federal brackets and payroll taxes to your gross salary.
How many work hours are in a year?+
The standard full-time assumption is 2,080 hours — 40 hours a week × 52 weeks. That figure is what most salary-to-hourly conversions use, including the U.S. government. But it ignores unpaid time off: if you take two unpaid weeks, you actually work 2,000 hours, which raises your effective hourly rate for the same salary. Adjust the hours-per-week and weeks-per-year inputs to match your real schedule and the calculator recomputes accordingly.
How does unpaid time off change my effective hourly rate?+
Your salary is fixed, but the hours you work to earn it are not. If you earn $100,000 over 2,080 hours, that is about $48.08 an hour. Take two unpaid weeks and you earn the same $100,000 over just 2,000 hours — roughly $50 an hour. Fewer working hours for the same pay means a higher effective hourly rate. Lowering the weeks-per-year input models this, which is useful when comparing a salaried role against contract or hourly work.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for educational purposes only and shows gross pay before taxes, withholding, and deductions. Your take-home pay will be lower. It is not tax or financial advice.