How the conversion works
The calculator turns any hourly rate into an annual salary by multiplying by your weekly hours and the number of paid weeks:
annual salary = hourly rate × hours per week × 52
Going the other way, it divides the salary by the same number of hours. Tax and National Insurance are then worked out on the annual salary under the 2026/27 rules, and the take-home figure is split back into hours, days, weeks and months.
Worked example: £15 an hour
£15 an hour, 37.5 hours a week, England, 2026/27
£15 × 37.5 × 52 = £29,250. After tax and NI you keep £12.60 of each hour.
- Take-home per hour
- £12.60
- Take-home per month
- £2,048
- National Living Wage (21+)
- £12.71from April 2026
| Period | Before tax | After tax and NI |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly | £15.00 | £12.60 |
| Daily (5-day week) | £112.50 | £94.54 |
| Weekly | £562.50 | £472.68 |
| Monthly | £2,437.50 | £2,048.30 |
| Yearly | £29,250.00 | £24,579.60 |
In reverse, a £45,000 salary at 37.5 hours is £23.08 an hour before tax and £18.42 after.
Minimum wage rates from April 2026
| Age or status | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 |
| Under 18 | £8.00 |
| Apprentice (under 19, or in first year) | £8.00 |
The National Living Wage rose by 50p from £12.21. If your average hourly pay — including unpaid overtime or time spent on mandatory training — falls below these rates, your employer is breaking the law.
Comparing hourly and salaried jobs
- Holiday pay: salaried staff are paid through their 5.6 weeks of holiday. Hourly workers should accrue holiday too; for irregular-hours workers it is 12.07% of hours worked.
- Unpaid hours: a £40,000 salary that regularly needs 45 hours a week is worth £17.09 an hour, not the £20.51 it looks like at 37.5 hours.
- Benefits: employer pension contributions, sick pay and bonuses don’t show up in an hourly rate.