Hourly wage calculator
The conversion is simple, hourly rate × hours per week × 52: but the number that matters is what an hour is worth after tax and National Insurance. This calculator converts hourly rate to salary and salary to hourly, plus your true per-hour take-home. It works as an hourly pay calculator, a pay per hour calculator and a monthly wage calculator, since the same rate answers all three: what an hour earns, what a month earns, and what a year earns.
Calculator
Hourly wage calculator
Assumes 52 paid weeks (holiday is paid), England tax bands, standard 1257L code.
£16.00/hour × 37.5 hours/week
£31,200 a year
Take-home: £25,983.60 a year · £2,165.30 a month · £13.32 per hour worked
Gross vs take-home per hour
| Gross hourly rate | £16.00 |
| Tax and NI per hour | −£2.68 |
| What an hour is worth in your pocket | £13.32 |
Overtime maths: each extra hour is taxed at your marginal rate, so an overtime hour is worth less in your pocket than a normal one once you cross a band.
How to work out your hourly rate from a salary
Divide the salary by 52, then by your weekly hours: salary ÷ 52 ÷ hours per week. On £30,000 at 37.5 hours that is £576.92 a week, or £15.38 an hour. After income tax and National Insurance on the standard 1257L code, each of those hours is actually worth about £12.88, and the calculator above shows the same per-hour take-home for any rate and hours.
Take-home computed on the 2026/27 HMRC rates from gov.uk rates and thresholds for employers, checked 2 September 2026.
Quick reference at 37.5 hours
At a standard 37.5-hour week: £12.71 (the National Living Wage from 1 April 2026) is £24,784.50 a year, £15 is £29,250.00, £20 is £39,000.00, and £25 is £48,750.00. A 40-hour week adds roughly 6.7% to each.
Why the 52-week assumption is right
Employees are paid for holiday, so a salaried year is 52 paid weeks even though you work about 46 of them. Contractors comparing a day rate should not use 52, unpaid holiday, gaps and sick days mean 44-46 chargeable weeks is more honest, which is why a contract rate has to be well above the salaried equivalent to break even.
The minimum wage check
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage is £12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over, £10.85 for 18-20, and £8.00 for under-18s and apprentices (gov.uk). The calculator flags any rate below the 21+ figure. Salary sacrifice cannot legally take pay below these rates.
£X an hour is how much a year?
The common rates at a 37.5-hour week, before and after tax. Each rate links to its own hourly rate calculator page with the figures for 20, 30 and 40-hour weeks too.
| Hourly rate | Salary at 37.5 hours | Take-home / year |
|---|---|---|
| £12.71/hr | £24,784.50 | £21,364.44 |
| £13/hr | £25,350.00 | £21,771.60 |
| £13.50/hr | £26,325.00 | £22,473.60 |
| £14/hr | £27,300.00 | £23,175.60 |
| £15/hr | £29,250.00 | £24,579.60 |
| £16/hr | £31,200.00 | £25,983.60 |
| £17/hr | £33,150.00 | £27,387.60 |
| £18/hr | £35,100.00 | £28,791.60 |
| £20/hr | £39,000.00 | £31,599.60 |
| £22/hr | £42,900.00 | £34,407.60 |
| £25/hr | £48,750.00 | £38,619.60 |
| £30/hr | £58,500.00 | £44,487.40 |
England, Wales and Northern Ireland bands, standard 1257L code, 52 paid weeks, no pension or student loan. 2026/27 rates from gov.uk rates and thresholds for employers; the £12.71 National Living Wage is from gov.uk minimum wage rates. Checked 2 September 2026.
2026/27 tax rates, checked 28 August 2026 by Hadi. Method on the about page.
How to use the hourly wage calculator
- 1
Enter your hourly rate, or switch direction and enter a salary to get the rate.
- 2
Set your hours a week and the weeks you are paid for in a year.
- 3
Read the annual salary and, under it, the take-home after tax and National Insurance.
- 4
Check the National Living Wage line, which flags a rate below the legal minimum for your age.
When should you use the hourly wage calculator?
Use it whenever pay is quoted by the hour and you need the annual figure, or the reverse, including a check against the legal minimum.
A job is advertised by the hour
Converting to an annual figure is the only way to compare it with a salaried offer.
You are quoted a salary but paid hourly
The two rarely divide neatly once unpaid breaks and holiday are counted.
You want to know what an hour is worth after tax
The gross rate is not what an extra hour puts in your account.
You are checking a young worker's rate
The legal minimum differs by age band, and apprentices have their own rate.
Where to go next
- Minimum wage calculatorTo check the rate against the legal minimum for your age.Open
- Overtime calculatorTo price extra hours at your marginal rate.Open
- Pro rata and part time calculatorTo convert a part-time contract to a full-time equivalent.Open
All 51 calculators share one tested engine, so a figure from the hourly wage calculator agrees with every other page here. See the full calculator index or the pay and tax guides.