The conversion, and the assumption inside it
annual = hourly × hours/week × weeks/year
Every salary conversion hides two assumptions, the hours and the weeks. The defaults (40 and 52) fit a standard full-time role with paid leave. They stop fitting the moment hours drift: at 45 real hours a week, a $75,000 salary is $32.05/hour, not the $36.06 the 40-hour math suggests, an 11% pay cut nobody announced. Enter your true hours and the table recomputes honestly.
Common conversions at 40 × 52
| Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15 | $600 | $2,600 | $31,200 |
| $20 | $800 | $3,467 | $41,600 |
| $30 | $1,200 | $5,200 | $62,400 |
| $50 | $2,000 | $8,667 | $104,000 |
Comparing offers without fooling yourself
- Convert both to the same period using each offer's real hours, not the nominal week. An "unlimited PTO" salaried role at 50 actual hours can pay less per hour than the hourly job it replaced.
- Price the benefits. Employer retirement match is immediate compensation; healthcare premiums avoided are after-tax money. Add their annual value to the salary side before comparing.
- Overtime changes the answer. Hourly roles pay 1.5× past 40 (US federal rule); salaried exempt roles pay nothing. If the job routinely runs long, the time card calculator shows what those hours are worth on each side.
- Self-employment is its own equation, expenses, unbillable time and no employer taxes paid for you. The freelance rate calculator does that version properly rather than doubling a salary and hoping.
Raises, in real terms
A raise is only a raise after inflation: 4% more pay in a 6% inflation year is a 2% cut in purchasing power. Convert any offer to annual terms here, then run it through the inflation calculator to see it in constant money, and if the goal is turning income into wealth, the compound interest calculator shows what a fixed slice of each cheque becomes.