The 2,080-hour rule
A full-time US job is usually 40 hours a week for 52 weeks: 2,080 paid hours a year. Multiply your hourly rate by 2,080 to get a yearly salary; divide a salary by 2,080 to get the hourly rate. For a quick head estimate, double the hourly rate and add three zeros: $20 an hour is about $40,000 (exactly $41,600).
| Hourly | Weekly (40 h) | Biweekly | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $7.25 | $290 | $580 | $1,256.67 | $15,080 |
| $15 | $600 | $1,200 | $2,600 | $31,200 |
| $20 | $800 | $1,600 | $3,466.67 | $41,600 |
| $25 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $4,333.33 | $52,000 |
| $30 | $1,200 | $2,400 | $5,200 | $62,400 |
| $50 | $2,000 | $4,000 | $8,666.67 | $104,000 |
Part-time and unpaid time off
Change hours per week for part-time work: $20 an hour for 25 hours a week is $26,000 a year. If some of your time off is unpaid, lower weeks per year: 50 paid weeks turns $25 an hour into $50,000 instead of $52,000.
Biweekly is not twice a month
Biweekly pay comes every two weeks, 26 times a year, so two months a year have three paychecks. Semi-monthly pay comes twice a month, 24 times a year. On the same salary a biweekly check is smaller than a semi-monthly one: $52,000 is $2,000 biweekly and $2,166.67 semi-monthly.
From salary to real pay
Your paper rate counts only paid hours. To see what you earn for every hour work actually takes, including the commute, try the real hourly rate calculator.
How we calculate
Yearly = hourly × hours per week × weeks per year. Monthly = yearly ÷ 12. Biweekly = yearly ÷ 26. Weekly = hourly × hours per week. Hourly = yearly ÷ (hours per week × weeks per year).
- Pay before tax.
- 52 paid weeks a year by default: paid vacation counts as paid time.
Sources: US Department of Labor — Federal minimum wage ($7.25 since July 24, 2009); US OPM — Computing hourly rates of pay using the 2,087-hour divisor.
Every formula is checked by automated tests. Methodology · Updated · Reference data checked September 29, 2026