Salary to Hourly Calculator (and Hourly to Salary)
Comparing a salaried job with freelance or hourly work? The honest comparison needs your real hours. This tool converts in both directions — salary to hourly, or hourly to annual — using the hours per week and vacation weeks you actually expect, not idealised assumptions.
How to use this tool
- Pick a direction — salary to hourly, or hourly to salary.
- Enter the amount and your actual hours per week (be honest — include the overtime you routinely do).
- Freelancers: add unpaid vacation weeks, since nobody pays you for time off.
- Press Convert to see the true rate plus monthly and weekly equivalents.
Frequently asked questions
What hourly rate should a freelancer charge to match a salary?
More than the simple division suggests. A salaried job includes paid leave, and often health insurance, pension contributions and paid slow periods. A common rule: take the salary-equivalent hourly rate and add 30–50% to cover benefits, unpaid admin time, and gaps between clients.
Why does my 'true' hourly rate matter?
It's the great equaliser for decisions: overtime that isn't paid lowers it, a long commute lowers it further, and a \"prestigious\" job at 60 hrs/week may pay less per hour than a calmer one. Convert both offers to true hourly before choosing.
How many working hours are in a year?
A standard full-time year is 52 weeks × 40 hours = 2,080 hours, before subtracting leave and public holidays. With 5 weeks off, it's about 1,880 actual working hours — which is why the same salary is worth ~10% more per hour in jobs with generous leave.
Should I use gross or net salary in this calculator?
Both are useful for different questions. Gross for comparing job offers (taxes are equal for equal pay); net for lifestyle math (\"what does one hour of my work actually buy?\"). Just be consistent when comparing two options.
Does overtime change the calculation?
Unpaid overtime silently cuts your hourly rate: a 60,000 salary at 40 hrs/week is ~28.85/hr, but at 50 hrs/week it drops to ~23/hr. Enter your realistic weekly hours to see what your time is actually being bought for.