$18 an Hour is How Much a Year?
gross annual salary · 40 hrs/week · 52 weeks · 2,080 hours
Monthly
$3,120
Bi-weekly
$1,440
Weekly
$720
Daily (8 hrs)
$144
Try different schedules or overtime
Pre-filled with $18/hr. Adjust hours, weeks, or add overtime to see updated pay.
Self-employment tax instead of W-2 FICA
$37,440
gross annual salary
Hourly
$18.00
Daily
$144
Weekly
$720
Bi-weekly
$1,440
Semi-mo
$1,560
Monthly
$3,120
Quarterly
$9,360
Annual
$37,440
Estimate for California. W-2 · Standard deduction, no credits.
Based on 40 hrs/week · 52 weeks/yr (gross)
Formula: $18 × hrs/wk × 52
OT = $18 × 1.5 × OT hrs × 52
$37,440 is gross (before taxes). For net pay after federal & state taxes, Social Security, and Medicare, use our Paycheck Calculator — enter $18/hr or $37,440/year.
$18/hr after taxes — 2026 federal tax estimate
Single filer · 2026 standard deduction · no credits or state tax
Add your state's income tax rate for full take-home. Use the Paycheck Calculator →
Benchmarks — BLS May 2024, SSA, federal law
vs. Federal minimum wage ($7.25)
2.5× the minimum
vs. BLS May 2024 national median ($24.61/hr)
$6.61/hr below median
2026 marginal federal bracket
12%
Overtime rate (FLSA 1.5×)
$27.00/hr · $44,460/yr +5 hrs OT/wk
At $18/hr you earn 26.9% below the national median. Many US cities and counties have local minimum wages above the federal $7.25/hr minimum — check your local wage law.
Your gross pay of $37,440 per year ($18/hr at 40 hrs/week) is subject to the same taxes whether you receive an hourly paycheck or an annual salary:
Federal income tax
12% marginal bracket · ~6.2% effective rate (2026, single, standard deduction)
State income tax
Varies by state; 9 states have no state income tax (TX, FL, WA, NV, WY, SD, AK, TN, NH)
Social Security (FICA)
6.2% on wages up to $184,500 (2026 SSA wage base) = $2,321/yr at $18/hr
Medicare (FICA)
1.45% on all wages + 0.9% Additional Medicare Tax on wages over $200,000/yr (single) = $543/yr at $18/hr
For the exact take-home by state, filing status, and pay frequency, use our US Paycheck Calculator — enter $18/hr or $37,440/year. For supplemental income, see our Bonus Tax Calculator.
The hourly, salary, and after-tax figures above come from the wage, hours, weeks, and tax settings you enter—not a third-party feed. We convert between pay periods using your work schedule, optionally adjust for unpaid PTO days and overtime, then estimate take-home using the same federal, state, and FICA (or self-employment) logic as our other US calculators. Below are the formulas, the order we follow, and worked examples you can check by hand.
Formulas
| Line | Formula |
|---|---|
| Weekly gross pay | Hourly rate × hours per week |
| Annual gross (before PTO) | Hourly rate × hours per week × weeks per year |
| Hourly from salary | Annual salary ÷ (hours per week × weeks per year) |
| Unpaid PTO adjustment | Annual pay − (unpaid PTO days × daily rate); daily rate = annual ÷ (weeks × 5 working days) |
| Pay period conversions | Annual ÷ 52 (weekly), ÷ 26 (biweekly), ÷ 24 (semi-monthly), ÷ 12 (monthly), ÷ 4 (quarterly) |
| Overtime hourly rate | Base hourly rate × overtime multiplier (default 1.5×) |
| Overtime annual earnings | Overtime hours per week × overtime rate × weeks per year |
| Total with overtime | Adjusted annual base + overtime annual earnings |
| After-tax take-home (W-2) | Gross annual − federal income tax − state tax − FICA |
| After-tax take-home (1099) | Gross annual − self-employment tax − federal income tax − state tax |
Order of operations
Start with your work schedule
Hours per week × weeks per year = total paid hours
Full-time is typically 40 hours × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours per year. Part-time, seasonal, or unpaid vacation weeks change the denominator when converting salary to hourly.
Convert hourly ↔ annual
Annual = hourly × hours × weeks; hourly = annual ÷ (hours × weeks)
Whether you enter an hourly wage or annual salary, we derive all other pay periods from the same gross annual figure.
Adjust for unpaid PTO (optional)
Reduce annual pay by unpaid days × daily rate
Unpaid time off lowers effective annual earnings. We assume 5 working days per week when spreading PTO across the year.
Add overtime (optional)
OT pay = OT hours/week × (base hourly × multiplier) × weeks/year
Overtime is added on top of base pay. Default multiplier is 1.5× (time and a half). PTO reduces base pay but not overtime hours you enter separately.
Break into pay periods
Divide annual gross by 52, 26, 24, 12, or 4
Biweekly (26) and semi-monthly (24) are not the same—semi-monthly is twice per calendar month; biweekly is every two weeks.
Estimate after-tax take-home (optional)
Apply federal brackets, state tax, and FICA or SE tax to gross annual
W-2 employees use income tax plus employee FICA. Contractors use 1099 self-employment tax plus income tax. This is an annual estimate—not per-paycheck withholding.
Worked example
$18/hr × 40 hrs/week × 52 weeks = $37,440/year gross, Single, California, W-2 employee
$18 × 40 × 52 = $37,440 annual gross (2,080 paid hours)
Weekly $720 · biweekly $1,440 · monthly $3,120 · daily $144
W-2 mode: $2,313 federal + $608 state + $3,351 FICA = $6,271 total tax (16.8% effective)
Estimated take-home: $31,169 on $37,440 gross
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $18 |
| Hours per week | 40 |
| Weeks per year | 52 |
| Annual gross | $37,440 |
| Weekly | $720 |
| Biweekly | $1,440 |
| Semi-monthly | $1,560 |
| Monthly | $3,120 |
| Daily (5-day week) | $144 |
| Federal income tax (est.) | $2,313 |
| State income tax (est.) | $608 |
| FICA (est.) | $3,351 |
| Total tax (est.) | $6,271 |
| Take-home (est.) | $31,169 |
| Effective tax rate | 16.8% |
With 5 overtime hours/week at 1.5× on a $18/hr base: base $37,440 + $7,020 OT = $44,460 total gross (+18.75% vs. base alone).
10 unpaid PTO days on $18/hr full-time: $37,440 → $36,000 effective annual (−$1,440).
Assumptions we use
| Parameter | What we use |
|---|---|
| Default full-time schedule | 40 hours/week × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours |
| Biweekly pay periods | Annual ÷ 26 |
| Semi-monthly pay periods | Annual ÷ 24 |
| Default overtime multiplier | 1.5× (time and a half) |
| Working days per week (PTO math) | 5 days |
| After-tax tax year | 2026 federal and state brackets |
What we do not model on this page
We model gross pay conversion and simplified annual tax estimates only—not per-paycheck withholding tables, pre-tax 401(k) or health premiums, local city income taxes, itemized deductions, tax credits, or benefits value. Overtime rules vary by employer and exempt vs. non-exempt status. After-tax mode uses standard deduction and does not reflect mid-year pay changes.
$18 an hour — frequently asked questions
Also: $3,120/month · $1,440 bi-weekly · $720/week · $144/day.
Use the US Paycheck Calculator and enter $37,440 as annual salary — or $18 hourly with 40 hrs/week — to get an estimate by state and filing status.
• 20 hrs/week: $18,720/year ($1,560/month)
• 30 hrs/week: $28,080/year ($2,340/month)
• 40 hrs/week: $37,440/year (full-time)
• Bi-weekly (26 paychecks): $1,440
• Semi-monthly (24 paychecks): $1,560
• Weekly: $720
These are gross figures. For net monthly pay, use our Paycheck Calculator.
Adding overtime to your base salary:
• +5 OT hrs/week: $44,460/year
• +10 OT hrs/week: $51,480/year
Use the overtime toggle in the calculator above to see any combination.
Your marginal federal tax bracket is 12% — but you only pay that rate on income in the top bracket, not on everything. Your effective (average) federal income tax rate is approximately 6.2%. Add Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) for total FICA of ~7.6%.
State income tax varies — 9 states charge nothing; California can add up to 13.3% at the top. Use our Paycheck Calculator for a full state + federal estimate.
It is 2.5× the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr (unchanged since 2009). At 26.9% below the national median, your pay covers basic needs in many parts of the US but may be tight in high-cost metros.
"Good" ultimately depends on location, household size, and benefits. In high-cost cities (NYC, SF, LA), a single adult living wage often requires $30–40+/hr. In lower-cost states, $18/hr can be comfortable.
$X an hour is how much a year? — compare rates
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Last updated: 2026-05-01 · Calculations based on 2,080 annual hours (BLS full-time standard)