Whether you’re comparing job offers, negotiating a pay rise, or just wondering what your hourly rate is actually worth over a year, converting an hourly wage to an annual salary is one of the most useful calculations an Australian worker can do. Get it right and you can weigh up offers like-for-like; get it wrong and you might accept a job that pays thousands less than you thought.
This guide walks you through the exact formula, shows you how the result changes for casual and part-time workers, and explains how tax, super and loading affect the number you take home. You can also skip the maths entirely with our hourly-to-salary calculator, which does the conversion instantly for any rate and hours you enter.
The Hourly-to-Salary Formula
The basic conversion is simple:
Annual salary = hourly rate × hours worked per week × 52 weeks
So if you earn $35 an hour and work a standard 38-hour week (the full-time standard under most Australian awards), your annual gross salary is:
$35 × 38 × 52 = $69,160 per year
For a 40-hour week, the same rate gives $35 × 40 × 52 = $72,800. That difference of $3,640 a year is exactly why you should always convert to the same weekly-hours basis before comparing two offers.
From the $35-an-hour page, you can see this rate across weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annual figures at a glance.
2026 Minimum Wage: The Floor for Every Calculation
Every conversion you do should be sanity-checked against Australia’s national minimum wage. From 1 July 2026, the Fair Work Commission’s Annual Wage Review set the national minimum wage at $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for a 38-hour week.
That means:
- $26.44 × 38 × 52 = $52,245.44 per year — the legal annual minimum for a full-time worker
- A casual worker on the minimum gets the 25% casual loading on top: $26.44 × 1.25 = $33.05 per hour, or roughly $65,307 a year if working 38 hours a week
- Many awards set rates above the minimum, so check the award that covers your job — these are floors, not typical rates
If a salary-to-hourly conversion lands below these figures for full-time work, something is wrong: either the employer is underpaying, or the offer hasn’t factored in the right hours.
Full Conversion Table: Hourly Rates to Annual Salary (38-Hour Week)
The table below converts common hourly rates to annual gross salary on a 38-hour week, the standard Australian full-time arrangement. Gross means before tax — your take-home figure will be lower once income tax and Medicare levy are applied.
| Hourly rate | Weekly (38h) | Fortnightly | Monthly (avg) | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $26.44 (min wage) | $1,004.90 | $2,009.80 | $4,354.55 | $52,245 |
| $30.00 | $1,140.00 | $2,280.00 | $4,940.00 | $59,280 |
| $33.05 (casual min) | $1,255.90 | $2,511.80 | $5,442.23 | $65,307 |
| $35.00 | $1,330.00 | $2,660.00 | $5,763.33 | $69,160 |
| $40.00 | $1,520.00 | $3,040.00 | $6,586.67 | $79,040 |
| $45.00 | $1,710.00 | $3,420.00 | $7,410.00 | $88,920 |
| $50.00 | $1,900.00 | $3,800.00 | $8,233.33 | $98,800 |
| $60.00 | $2,280.00 | $4,560.00 | $9,880.00 | $118,560 |
Want your exact figures for a different weekly hour count? The hourly-to-salary calculator lets you enter any hours and instantly see weekly, fortnightly, monthly and annual totals.
Casual, Part-Time and Overtime: Why Your “Salary” Looks Different
Casual loading
Casual employees in Australia are paid a 25% loading on top of the base hourly rate to compensate for not receiving paid leave (annual leave, sick leave and notice of termination). As shown above, that takes the minimum wage from $26.44 to $33.05 an hour.
But a casual’s “annual salary” is misleading: casual hours aren’t guaranteed, and the loading is meant to offset the lack of leave. Two workers both earning $65,000 “equivalent” aren’t equal if one is casual — the casual earns no paid annual leave or sick leave, and their income fluctuates. Always compare casual offers to the base hourly rate of a permanent role, not the loaded rate.
Part-time workers
Part-time employees get the same hourly rate as full-time employees doing the same job — just fewer hours, paid pro rata. A $35/hr part-timer working 22 hours a week earns $35 × 22 × 52 = $40,040 a year. Part-timers are entitled to leave on a pro-rata basis, which casuals are not.
Overtime and penalty rates
Overtime (hours beyond your ordinary hours) and penalty rates for weekends, nights and public holidays sit outside the ordinary salary calculation. If your annual salary figure is based on a 38-hour week, a weekend shift paid at 200% doesn’t get included — it’s extra income on top. That’s one reason comparing an hourly-paid role with lots of overtime to a fixed salary can be deceptive.
From Gross to Take-Home: What Tax Does to Your Salary
Your annual salary figure is gross — before the ATO takes its share. To estimate take-home pay on the converted salary, apply the 2025-26 resident income tax brackets:
| Taxable income | Tax rate |
|---|---|
| $0 – $18,200 | Nil |
| $18,201 – $45,000 | 16c for each $1 over $18,200 |
| $45,001 – $135,000 | $4,288 plus 30c for each $1 over $45,000 |
| $135,001 – $190,000 | $31,288 plus 37c for each $1 over $135,000 |
| $190,001 and over | $51,638 plus 45c for each $1 over $190,000 |
On top of income tax, most workers also pay the 2% Medicare levy (no levy applies if your taxable income is under the low-income threshold). So the $69,160 salary from a $35/hr rate works out to roughly $56,200 take-home after tax and Medicare levy — a reminder that the “salary” you see on a job ad and the money that lands in your account are two different things.
For a precise breakdown, enter your converted salary into the income tax calculator, which handles tax, Medicare levy and HELP repayments.
Don’t Forget Superannuation
An hourly rate or salary figure doesn’t include your employer’s superannuation contributions — the superannuation guarantee (SG) of 12% is paid on top of your ordinary earnings. On a $69,160 salary, your employer contributes roughly $8,299 a year into your super fund, bringing your total remuneration to about $77,459.
When comparing a salaried job to hourly work, make sure super is part of the comparison: some casual rates advertised “including super” bundle it in, while award rates add it on top. Always ask whether a quoted rate includes or excludes super.
Using Conversions in Salary Negotiations
Converting rates both ways is a powerful negotiation tool. When a job ad quotes an annual salary, convert it back to hourly — annual salary ÷ 52 ÷ 38 — to compare it with your current hourly job. A $75,000 salary sounds strong until you realise it’s $37.98 an hour, barely above what you earn now as a casual once loading is stripped out.
Always negotiate on total remuneration, not just the headline figure. That means salary plus the 12% super guarantee, plus any extras: overtime expectations, weekend penalty rates you’d earn in an hourly role but lose in a salaried one, and the 17.5% annual leave loading many award-based employees receive. A salaried role paying $70,000 with no overtime may be worse than an hourly role paying $68,000 equivalent with regular penalty shifts.
Also watch for annualised salary arrangements, where an employer rolls expected overtime and penalties into one higher salary. These are legal, but the employer must show you’d earn at least as much as under the award — and in several awards they must reconcile this against your actual hours each year and pay any shortfall. Ask for the reconciliation clause in writing before you sign.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert an hourly rate to a salary?
Multiply your hourly rate by the number of hours you work per week, then multiply by 52. For example, $40/hr × 38 hours × 52 weeks = $79,040 per year. Our hourly-to-salary calculator does this automatically.
What is $30 an hour as a salary in Australia?
On a standard 38-hour week, $30/hr equals $1,140 a week, or $59,280 a year before tax. See the full breakdown on our $30-an-hour page.
How many hours is full-time in Australia?
The standard full-time week is 38 hours under most modern awards and the National Employment Standards. Salary conversions almost always assume 38 hours unless the contract says otherwise.
Does casual loading count toward my annual salary?
Casual loading (25%) increases your hourly rate, but it compensates for the lack of paid leave — it isn’t extra money in the same sense. Compare the base rate, not the loaded rate, when weighing casual against permanent roles.
How much is $25 an hour per year after tax?
$25/hr on a 38-hour week is $49,400 a year gross. After 2025-26 income tax and the Medicare levy, take-home is roughly $42,800. Check our $25-an-hour after-tax page for the detailed breakdown.
Should I use 52 weeks or a different divisor for monthly pay?
52 weeks is the correct annual divisor. For a monthly figure, divide the annual salary by 12 — this averages the months, since pay cycles rarely align exactly with calendar months.
Conclusion
Converting an hourly rate to a salary is straightforward — hourly rate × weekly hours × 52 — but the number only becomes meaningful once you layer in casual loading, the $26.44 minimum wage floor, tax brackets, the Medicare levy and 12% super. Do all of that, and you can compare any two offers on a genuinely like-for-like basis.
Ready to convert your own rate? Use the free hourly-to-salary calculator to get your annual salary — plus weekly, fortnightly and monthly figures — in seconds.