Salary ↔ Hourly Converter
We convert pay between salary and hourly—then show daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and annual equivalents. We also compute an effective hourly rate after PTO, paid holidays, and unpaid breaks.
Your pay details (recalc is instant)
Pay equivalents
- Nominal hourly divides annual pay by scheduled paid hours.
- Effective hourly divides annual pay by hours you actually work (excludes PTO/holidays and unpaid breaks).
Results interpretation: who benefits
- Comparing offers: We normalize pay to an hourly and monthly view, so a $72,000 salary vs. $34.50/hour becomes apples-to-apples.
- PTO-heavy roles: More paid days off usually raise the effective hourly because you’re paid for time you don’t work.
- Break-heavy schedules: Long unpaid breaks lower paid hours per day and reduce weekly/annual totals for hourly roles.
- Shift workers & contractors: Toggle “Holidays are paid” off to reflect reality for many hourly/1099 roles.
Worked examples
Example 1 (salary → hourly): $78,000 salary, 40 hrs/week, 52 weeks, 5 days/week, 15 PTO, 10 holidays, 30-min unpaid break, PTO & holidays paid. Nominal hourly ≈ $37.50. Effective hourly rises because ~25 paid days aren’t worked and breaks reduce worked hours.
Example 2 (hourly → salary): $30/hour, 40 hrs/week, 52 weeks, 5 days/week, 10 holidays paid, 10 PTO unpaid, 30-min unpaid break. Annual ≈ $30 × (worked hours + paid holidays). If PTO were paid, annual would increase by another $2,250.00.
Example 3 (contractor): $60/hour, 35 hrs/week, 48 weeks, 5 days/week, zero paid days, 0 break. Annual = $60 × 35 × 48 = $100,800.00; effective hourly equals posted rate.
How our Salary ↔ Hourly Converter works
Formula, steps, assumptions & limitations
Nominal hourly (salary mode) = Annual salary ÷ (hours/week × weeks/year).
Effective hourly = Annual salary ÷ (Worked days × (hours/day − unpaid breaks)). Worked days = (days/week × weeks/year − PTO days − holiday days).
Annual (hourly mode) = Hourly rate × (Worked hours + Paid PTO hours + Paid holiday hours), where worked hours exclude unpaid breaks.
We assume five workdays/week unless you change it. We don’t model taxes or overtime rules. Treat results as planning estimates.
FAQ: Salary to hourly & hourly to salary
What is a good quick rule to convert salary to hourly?
Divide annual salary by 2,080 (40 hours × 52 weeks). Our converter refines this with your PTO, holidays, and unpaid breaks.
Why is “effective hourly” higher than the nominal hourly?
Because you’re paid for PTO/holidays that you don’t work and you may take unpaid breaks each day, your actual worked hours are lower—so dollars per worked hour are higher.
How do paid holidays affect an hourly employee?
If holidays are paid, we add those hours to annual paid time even though you don’t work, boosting the annual total.
Do we include overtime?
No. Inputs are for regular schedules. You can simulate overtime by raising hours/week or weeks/year.
What if I have alternating schedules?
Average them to a typical week (e.g., 36/48 rotating ⇒ use 42 hours/week) and set breaks appropriately.
Can I copy a link to my scenario?
Yes—use “Copy link with inputs.” We encode your inputs into the URL so you can share or revisit them later.
Salary vs Hourly: how to compare total compensation with our converter
We built our salary to hourly converter to answer a deceptively simple question: “What does this job really pay per hour?” Titles, schedules, and benefits vary wildly, so we pull all of the pieces—PTO, holidays, and unpaid breaks—into one consistent framework.
Focus on effective hourly. A headline salary can hide fewer working hours, more paid days off, or long unpaid breaks. Effective hourly normalizes for time actually worked, which is the cleanest way to compare offers.
Normalize the work year. For white-collar roles, 40×52 is common. Health-care, trades, and retail often run 36–48 hours and different week counts. Our inputs let you mirror the real schedule so your comparison is fair.
Benefits beyond cash matter. If two offers have the same effective hourly but one includes paid holidays and robust PTO, that job yields the same dollars in fewer worked hours.