Hourly Wage Calculator
Convert an hourly rate into the weekly, monthly and annual equivalents, so an hourly job and a salaried one can be compared honestly.
Formula
Hourly rate = annual salary ÷ (hours per week × weeks worked)
- A full-time year is usually taken as 52 weeks × 37.5 or 40 hours
£30,000 at 37.5 hours a week: £30,000 ÷ 1,950 = £15.38 an hour
Hourly to Annual
Annual pay = Hourly rate × Hours per week × Weeks worked
£15 an hour over 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks gives £29,250.
The number of weeks is the critical assumption. Salaried staff are paid for 52 weeks including holiday; hourly workers often are not, so the same headline rate can produce very different annual income.
Holiday Pay on Hourly Work
Almost all UK workers are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid annual leave, including most hourly and agency staff.
For irregular hours this is often paid as an uplift of about 12.07% on hours worked, which is 5.6 divided by the remaining 46.4 working weeks. If a rate is quoted as including holiday pay, the effective rate for hours actually worked is lower than it appears.
Comparing Against a Salary
An hourly role and a salaried one at the same annual figure are not equivalent. Salaried positions usually carry sick pay, pension contributions and predictable income; hourly work may pay overtime premiums and offer flexibility instead.
Check the UK National Minimum and National Living Wage rates for your age band, which change each April, and remember that unpaid breaks reduce the effective rate: an eight-hour shift with an unpaid half hour is paid for 7.5.
Quick Reference
| Annual salary | Per hour | Per day (7.5 h) | Per week |
|---|---|---|---|
| £20,000 | £10.26 | £76.92 | £384.62 |
| £30,000 | £15.38 | £115.38 | £576.92 |
| £40,000 | £20.51 | £153.85 | £769.23 |
| £50,000 | £25.64 | £192.31 | £961.54 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I convert hourly pay to an annual salary?
- Multiply the hourly rate by weekly hours and by the number of weeks worked. £15 over 37.5 hours for 52 weeks is £29,250.
- What is the 12.07 per cent holiday uplift?
- The standard way of paying 5.6 weeks of statutory leave to irregular-hours workers, calculated as 5.6 divided by the 46.4 remaining working weeks.
- Is hourly work worth more than salaried at the same rate?
- Not usually. Salaried roles typically include paid holiday, sick pay and pension, which an equivalent hourly rate may not.
- Do unpaid breaks affect my hourly rate?
- They reduce paid hours. An eight-hour shift with an unpaid 30-minute break is paid for 7.5 hours, lowering effective daily earnings.