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$15 an Hour Is How Much a Year? ($31,200)

Hannah Parrack, Senior Tech Writer, MiPrep · Updated 2026-09-05

Per hour

$15

Per 8-hour day

$120

Per 40-hour week

$600

Per month

$2,600

Per year (40 hrs, 52 wks)

$31,200

After tax

$31,200 is roughly 50% below the median US full-time earnings of about $62,000. That gap matters most when the role is in a high-cost metro, where the same number buys materially less. On $31,200, federal income tax comes to about $1,706 for a single filer taking the standard deduction, and FICA adds $2,387. That leaves roughly $27,108, or $2,259 a month, before state tax.

Your top federal bracket at this income is 12%, but your effective rate — what you actually pay across all your income — is about 13%. Those two numbers get confused constantly, and the gap between them is why a raise never costs you money overall.

Gross

$31,200

Federal income tax

− $1,706

Social Security + Medicare

− $2,387

Estimated take-home

$27,108

Excludes state tax, which runs from zero in nine states to about 11% in California and Hawaii, and excludes 401(k), health premiums and local tax. For your own state and deductions, use the salary calculator.

If the hours are not 40

The $31,200 figure assumes 40 hours a week, every week, all paid. That is true of a salaried job and frequently untrue of an hourly one.

30 hours a week

$23,400

20 hours a week

$15,600

40 hours, 3 unpaid weeks

$29,400

What $15 an hour actually means

At $15 an hour, the number that matters most is usually not the annual figure but whether the hours are guaranteed. Roles in this band are frequently scheduled week to week, and a contract that says "up to 40 hours" can land closer to 30 — which is $23,400 rather than $31,200. Ask what the guaranteed minimum is before you compare this to a salaried offer.

Questions

$15 an hour is how much a year?

$31,200 a year, working 40 hours a week for all 52 weeks. That is $2,600 a month, $1,200 per fortnightly paycheck, and $600 a week.

$15 an hour is how much a year after taxes?

Roughly $27,108, or about $2,259 a month. That subtracts federal income tax of about $1,706 and FICA of $2,387, and assumes a single filer taking the standard deduction. It excludes state tax, which ranges from nothing to about 11% depending on where you live.

What is $15 an hour part-time?

At 30 hours a week it is $23,400 a year; at 20 hours it is $15,600. Part-time roles also frequently fall below the threshold for employer health coverage, which is worth more than the hourly difference in many cases.

Does unpaid time off change the answer?

Yes, and this is where the standard 2,080-hour figure misleads. Three unpaid weeks takes $15 an hour from $31,200 to $29,400 — a $1,800 difference that no salaried employee experiences, because their holiday is already inside the salary.

Nearby rates

• $13 an hour — $27,040 a year
• $14 an hour — $29,120 a year
• $16 an hour — $33,280 a year
• $17 an hour — $35,360 a year

Related

• Hourly to yearly calculator — for your own hours and unpaid weeks
• Salary calculator — take-home by state
• Open roles — what companies are paying now