$15 an Hour Is How Much a Year? Monthly, Weekly, and Overtime Pay

At $15 an hour, working full time (40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year), you earn $31,200 a year before taxes. That works out to about $2,600 a month, $1,200 every two weeks, and $600 a week. Below are the numbers for other schedules, pay periods, overtime, and unpaid time off, followed by how to use the figure when a recruiter asks what you expect to be paid.

$15 an hour by pay period

These use 2,080 paid hours a year, which is 40 hours times 52 weeks.

The formula is simple: hourly rate times 2,080 gives the yearly amount. $15 x 2,080 = $31,200.

$15 an hour by hours worked

Not every job is 40 hours. Here is the same rate across common schedules, all for 52 weeks.

Monthly figures are the yearly amount divided by 12.

What if you work overtime?

In the United States, many hourly workers are owed time and a half for hours beyond 40 in a week under federal law, though rules vary by state and by job type, and some roles are exempt. If your $15 job pays time and a half, a 45-hour week pays $600 for the first 40 hours plus $112.50 for 5 overtime hours, which is $712.50 for the week. Over 52 weeks that would be $37,050. Check your own contract, since overtime rules differ.

What if you take unpaid time off?

The 2,080 figure assumes you're paid for every week. If you're paid only for hours worked and you take 2 unpaid weeks a year, you're paid for 50 weeks, which is 2,000 hours, so $15 an hour comes to $30,000 a year. Paid vacation and paid holidays are included in the 2,080 figure.

What does each extra dollar an hour add?

Every $1 an hour adds $2,080 a year at full time. A raise from $15 to $16 an hour takes the yearly pay from $31,200 to $33,280. A $2 raise to $17 an hour makes it $35,360.

Nearby hourly rates

Converting a salary to an hourly rate

Divide the yearly salary by 2,080. A $31,200 salary is $31,200 / 2,080 = $15 an hour. If your job asks for more than 40 hours a week without overtime pay, your real hourly rate is lower. For example, 50 hours a week on a $31,200 salary is $12 an hour.

Taxes and take-home pay

The figures above are before taxes. What you take home depends on where you live, your filing status, retirement and health deductions, and other income. Use your payslip or a payroll calculator for your state to see the net amount.

Using this when a recruiter asks what you expect to be paid

If you're talking to a recruiter about a role paid around $15 an hour, convert both ways so you can compare it with salaried offers. $15 an hour is $31,200 a year. When a recruiter asks for your expected pay, you can answer in either form, for example: "I'm looking for $15 to $18 an hour, which is about $31,200 to $37,440 a year, depending on the full package."

Two things help:

1. Check whether the posting lists a pay range. Several US states and cities require employers to include one.
2. Compare the whole package, not just the rate: health insurance, paid time off, retirement match, and guaranteed hours. A slightly lower rate with benefits can be worth more than a higher rate without them.

Our phone screen guide has a script for the salary question, and our list of questions to ask a recruiter includes how to ask about pay ranges and benefits. You can practice saying your number out loud in a mock interview with YesToTheOffer, which is priced per minute with no subscription and gives new accounts 30 free minutes. Follow the employer's rules on AI tools in any live interview.