Salary to Hourly Calculator
Convert your annual salary to an hourly wage, and see what you'd need to charge as a freelancer to make the same amount.
Standard full-time is 40 hours.
Standard W-2 Hourly Wage
$36.06
/ hrWeekly
$1442.31
Monthly
$6250.00
Freelance Conversion
To make exactly $75,000 as a freelancer, you must charge more to cover the 15.3% Self-Employment tax and lack of paid time off.
💼 Going Freelance? Here's Your Breakeven Rate
To match a $75,000/year W-2 salary as a 1099 contractor, you need to charge at least $46.88/hr to break even after self-employment taxes and lost benefits.
Formula: (salary × 1.30) ÷ 2,080 billable hours — accounts for 15.3% SE tax + benefits gap.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate salary to hourly?
We divide your annual salary by the total number of hours you work in a year. For a standard full-time job (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), this is 2,080 hours. So a $50,000 salary ÷ 2,080 = $24.04 per hour.
Why is the "Freelance Equivalent" higher?
When you are a W-2 employee, your employer pays half of your payroll taxes (FICA) and provides benefits like health insurance and paid time off. When you are a 1099 freelancer, you must pay the full 15.3% Self-Employment tax yourself and cover your own benefits. To maintain the same standard of living, freelancers must charge a higher hourly rate than their W-2 counterparts.
What is the standard multiplier for moving from W-2 to Freelance?
A common rule of thumb is to add 25% to 30% to your W-2 hourly rate to find your base freelance rate. Our calculator uses a standard +25% multiplier to account for the extra tax burden and lack of paid time off.
Does this calculate taxes?
This calculator provides gross figures (before income tax). If you want to see your exact take-home pay after federal and state taxes, use our Paycheck Calculator below.