The Salary Calculator converts a pay figure between all eight standard frequencies — hourly, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly — in one pass. Enter what you earn in any one period, set your hours per week and weeks per year, and every other period's figure is derived from the annualized amount.
How It Works
Everything routes through the annual figure. The calculator first annualizes your input according to its frequency — hourly × hours per week × weeks per year; weekly × weeks per year; bi-weekly × 26 pay periods; semi-monthly × 24; monthly × 12; quarterly × 4 — then divides the annual amount back down into each period. The daily figure is expressed per 8-hour day: weekly pay divided by (hours per week ÷ 8), which for a standard 40-hour, 5-day week is simply weekly ÷ 5.
Input Parameters
| Input | Description | |---|---| | Amount | Your pay for the selected frequency | | Frequency | Hourly, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly | | Hours per week | 1 to 168; drives the hourly and daily conversions | | Days per week | 1 to 7; your schedule pattern | | Weeks per year | Default 52; lower it for unpaid time off |
Worked Example 1: Full-Time Hourly
$25 an hour, 40 hours a week, 52 weeks:
| Period | Pay | |---|---| | Hourly | 200.00 | | Weekly | 2,000.00 | | Semi-monthly | 4,333.33 | | Quarterly | 52,000.00 |
Note bi-weekly and semi-monthly are not the same number: 26 bi-weekly periods of 2,166.67 both total $52,000. Twice a year, bi-weekly payrolls produce a "third paycheck" month — the semi-monthly schedule never does, because it is tied to calendar months rather than elapsed weeks.
Worked Example 2: Part-Time Schedule
**30 × 24 × 52 = **720; daily (per 8-hour day) 1,440; semi-monthly 3,120; quarterly $9,360. The annual figure is roughly 72% of the full-time equivalent at the same hourly rate, tracking the hours exactly — a useful check when a "flexible" offer quietly cuts annual income by more than the schedule suggests.
Using the Conversions
Comparing offers only works on a common basis: an hourly contract, a monthly salary, and an annual package annualize to the same row of this table before you compare. Budgeting works the other way — match the conversion to the bill cycle (monthly for rent, bi-weekly for a mortgage on a bi-weekly payroll). And when an employer quotes "monthly" pay, confirm whether they mean monthly or semi-monthly; the 2,000 a year of ambiguity.
Limitations
All figures are gross — before income tax, payroll taxes, insurance, and retirement deductions — so take-home pay is lower by your personal withholding. The calculator assumes the stated hours are worked every working week at a flat rate: no overtime premiums, shift differentials, bonuses, or unpaid leave beyond what you set in weeks per year. Daily pay is standardized to 8-hour days, so schedules built on 10- or 12-hour shifts should be compared on the weekly and annual figures, which are shift-length neutral.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between bi-weekly and semi-monthly?
Bi-weekly pay arrives every two weeks — 26 paychecks a year, always on the same weekday. Semi-monthly pay arrives twice a calendar month — 24 paychecks, on fixed dates like the 1st and 15th, in larger amounts. Employers choose one or the other; confusing them is a 52,000 salary.
How many hours are in a standard work year?
2,080 — 40 hours times 52 weeks. That is the annualization the calculator performs at default settings, and the divisor behind the common shortcut of converting salary to hourly by dividing by 2,080.
Why does my annual figure change when I lower weeks per year?
Because the tool annualizes what you actually work. An hourly worker taking two unpaid weeks earns for 50 weeks, not 52; a salaried employee with paid leave should leave the setting at 52, since the salary already covers those weeks.