Salary to Hourly Calculator
Convert between annual salary, monthly pay, day rate, and hourly rate. Enter any one figure and see all the equivalents instantly — useful for comparing job offers, setting freelance rates, or benchmarking contractor bids.
Frequently asked questions
How many working days are there in a UK year?
A standard UK working year has 52 weeks × 5 days = 260 working days. After subtracting 28 days of statutory annual leave (including bank holidays), you are left with approximately 232 working days — or about 46 working weeks. This calculator defaults to 46 weeks, which is the standard assumption for freelancer and contractor rate calculations.
How do I convert an annual salary to an hourly rate?
Divide the annual salary by the total number of working hours in the year. For example, with a £40,000 salary, 46 weeks × 5 days × 8 hours = 1,840 hours. £40,000 ÷ 1,840 = approximately £21.74 per hour. This calculator does that automatically and also shows monthly, weekly, and daily equivalents.
What day rate should I charge as a freelancer?
A starting point is to take your desired annual income and divide by your number of billable days. However, freelancers should also factor in unpaid time (admin, sales, sick days), overheads, and the fact that employment benefits like pension, sick pay, and holiday pay must come from your rate. Many freelancers apply a 2–3× multiplier on their equivalent employed salary as a baseline.
Why does this calculator use 46 weeks by default?
UK employees are entitled to at least 28 days of paid holiday per year (including bank holidays). Dividing 28 days by 5 working days gives 5.6 weeks of holiday, leaving 46.4 working weeks. Rounding to 46 weeks is a standard convention used by HMRC guidance, accountants, and contractor rate calculators. You can adjust this to any number that matches your working pattern.
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