Salary ↔ Hourly Converter
Turn a yearly salary into an hourly rate, or an hourly rate into a salary, using the 2,080-hour convention Canadian employers use. Then see your true wage once unpaid overtime is counted, plus per-day, per-week and per-paycheque figures.
Every pay period, converted
All the equivalents of your pay, gross, on the 52-week-year convention with your hours per week. Your entered period is highlighted.
| Pay period | Gross pay | Periods / year |
|---|
Pay across common workweeks
How your hourly rate changes with hours worked, at the standard convention and after unpaid overtime.
Rate by workweek
The same salary spread over Canada's common full-time schedules. Your entered hours are highlighted.
| Hours / week | Standard hourly | True hourly (incl. unpaid OT) | Annual @ this week |
|---|
How this is calculated
The 2,080-hour convention
The standard salary-to-hourly formula is salary ÷ (52 × hours per week). At a 40-hour week that's 52 × 40 = 2,080 hours a year, the number most employers and payroll systems assume. A $85,000 salary works out to about $40.87/hour. Salaried employees are normally paid through their vacation, so paid vacation weeks don't change this divisor. What they change is time at work: the tool also shows what each hour you actually work earns — salary ÷ ((52 − vacation weeks) × hours) — which is higher, because you're paid to be away.
Your true effective hourly rate
Salaried roles often carry unpaid overtime. Your real wage is salary ÷ (52 × (hours + unpaid OT)). Those extra hours don't raise your pay, so every unpaid hour dilutes your effective rate: 5 unpaid hours a week turns a $40.87 sticker rate into roughly $36.32, about 11% lower.
Hourly to salary
Going the other way, the convention figure is rate × hours per week × 52. But hourly workers are usually paid vacation separately as a percentage top-up rather than through paid time off, so we also show what you'd actually earn if you take unpaid weeks: rate × hours × (52 − vacation weeks).
Converting between pay periods
Every period converts through the annual figure on the 52-week convention: monthly × 12, semi-monthly × 24, bi-weekly × 26, weekly × 52, daily × 260 (5 workdays × 52). Bi-weekly and semi-monthly are not the same thing: 26 paycheques vs 24, so the same salary gives a slightly smaller bi-weekly cheque, with two "three-paycheque months" a year as the offset. The per-hour figure always uses your hours per week, not an assumption.
Vacation pay: 4% and 6%
Under Ontario's Employment Standards Act, vacation pay is at least 4% of gross wages (two weeks) for under five years of service, rising to 6% (three weeks) at five years. Most provinces follow the same 4%/6% structure; Saskatchewan starts at 3 weeks (5.77%). The 4% figure is the "≈ 2 weeks" note shown on the hourly side.
Overtime in Ontario (and beyond)
Ontario pays overtime at 1.5× after 44 hours in a week. Thresholds vary: 40 hours in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 44 in Ontario, and daily thresholds (over 8 hours/day) in BC and Alberta. This tool converts a base rate, it does not add statutory overtime premiums to your paid hours.
Gross ≠ net
Every figure here is gross pay. Federal and provincial income tax, CPP/CPP2 and EI premiums all come off before you're paid. To see your take-home by province, open the income tax calculator, this page pre-fills your salary for you.
What this doesn't model
Statutory overtime premiums, shift differentials, bonuses, commission, benefits, employer pension matching, or the exact number of workdays in a given year (we use 260 = 5 days × 52 weeks for the per-day figure). It's a rate converter, not a payroll engine.
Common questions
How do you convert a salary to an hourly rate in Canada?
The standard convention divides annual salary by 2,080 hours, 52 weeks times a 40-hour week. So a $85,000 salary is about $40.87/hour. If you work more or fewer hours per week, divide by 52 times your actual weekly hours instead.
What is my true hourly rate if I work unpaid overtime?
Your true effective wage is salary divided by 52 times (your scheduled hours plus unpaid overtime hours). A $85,000 salary at 40 hours looks like $40.87/hour, but with 5 hours of unpaid overtime a week it is really $36.32/hour, about 11% less than the sticker rate.
How do you convert an hourly wage to an annual salary?
Multiply your hourly rate by hours per week by 52 weeks. At $28.50/hour and 40 hours that is $59,280 a year. Hourly workers are usually paid separately for vacation, so if you take unpaid time off your actual earnings are lower, about $57,000 if you take two unpaid weeks.
Does paid vacation change my hourly rate?
Not the convention figure — a salaried paycheque keeps coming during vacation, so payroll math stays on 52 weeks. It does change what an hour at work earns: at $125,000 on a 37.5-hour week with 3 weeks off, you are at work 49 weeks, so each worked hour earns about $68.03 versus the $64.10 convention figure. On a day rate the effect reverses: weeks off usually go unpaid, shrinking the year's total instead.
What is vacation pay in Ontario for hourly workers?
Ontario's Employment Standards Act requires at least 4% vacation pay (two weeks) after less than five years of employment, rising to 6% (three weeks) at five years. Vacation pay is calculated as a percentage of gross wages and is paid on top of, or accrued from, your regular earnings.
When does overtime pay start in Ontario?
In Ontario, overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate for hours worked beyond 44 in a week. Thresholds vary by province, 40 hours in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, 44 in Ontario, and daily thresholds (over 8 hours a day) in British Columbia and Alberta.
What is the difference between bi-weekly and semi-monthly pay?
Bi-weekly means every two weeks, 26 paycheques a year; semi-monthly means twice a month (typically the 1st and 15th), 24 paycheques a year. On the same salary a semi-monthly cheque is slightly bigger (annual divided by 24 vs 26), but bi-weekly earners get two extra cheques a year, two months contain three paydays.
How do I convert monthly, weekly or daily pay to an annual salary?
Multiply by the periods in a year: monthly times 12, semi-monthly times 24, bi-weekly times 26, weekly times 52, daily times 260 (5 workdays times 52 weeks). So $6,000 a month is $72,000 a year, which is about $34.62/hour at 40 hours a week.