A walkthrough, end to end.
- 1
Enter any one pay rate (annual, monthly, biweekly, weekly, daily, or hourly).
- 2
Set hours per week and weeks per year (defaults: 40 / 52).
- 3
All other rates update automatically.
Salary conversion math
Annual is the anchor. Hourly = annual / (hours per week × weeks per year). Standard US assumptions: 40 hours/week × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours/year. Some employers exclude paid leave (~50 worked weeks). Biweekly = 26 periods/year, semi-monthly = 24 periods/year.
What you can do with this.
Hourly to annual salary
$25/hr × 40 hr × 52 wk = $52,000/yr. Use for comparing hourly job offers to salaried roles. Salaried jobs typically include benefits worth 20–30% on top of base pay.
Annual to hourly conversion
$70,000/yr ÷ 2,080 hr = $33.65/hr. Useful for budgeting your time — figuring out the 'real' cost of an hour of work, or evaluating freelance/contract rates against an equivalent salary.
Biweekly paycheck math
Biweekly pay = annual ÷ 26. Most US employers pay biweekly, giving 26 paychecks/year (or 27 in some calendar years). Two months a year you'll get 'three' paychecks — common to use those for sinking funds.
Semi-monthly vs biweekly
Semi-monthly (15th & 30th) = 24 periods/yr; biweekly (every 2 weeks) = 26 periods/yr. Biweekly is more common in the US private sector; semi-monthly is more common for salaried/exempt roles.
Part-time pay conversion
If you work 30 hrs/wk instead of 40, set hours-per-week to 30. The calculator gives the correct annual-equivalent for negotiating proportional benefits or comparing to full-time roles.
Freelance / contractor rate
To replace a $80K salary, freelance rate ≈ $50–$60/hr ($80K + ~30% for self-employment tax + benefits + buffers). The calculator gives the floor; markup for risk and overhead.
After-tax take-home
This calculator gives gross pay only. For US, expect to take home ~75% of gross at lower brackets, ~65% at higher brackets after federal/state/FICA. Use a take-home paycheck calculator for net.
Salary calculator 2026 — what's current
Median US household income (~$75K) and median individual full-time wage (~$60K) are useful benchmarks. Coastal metros (NYC, SF) average 30–60% higher; rural areas can be 30% lower for similar roles.
Frequently asked.
Gross pay (before taxes and deductions). For US net pay (take-home), expect to keep ~70–75% at typical brackets. Use a take-home paycheck calculator for after-tax.
Add the annual bonus to your annual salary input. The hourly rate will reflect total compensation. For variable bonuses, average the last 2–3 years for a steady benchmark.
Default 52 (standard year). Use 50 if you want to match 'worked weeks' excluding 2 weeks of unpaid leave. Doesn't change much — 4% off either direction.
No. Calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.