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TimesheetCalculator

Payroll hours → gross pay

Payroll Hours Calculator

Turn payroll hours into gross pay for any pay frequency — weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly — with overtime priced correctly and an annualized estimate.

Pay frequency cheat sheet

FrequencyPeriods/yrFull-time hours/period
Weekly5240
Biweekly2680
Semimonthly2486.67
Monthly12173.33

The 2,080-hour year (40 × 52) is the backbone of all of these. To flip an hourly rate into a salary, multiply by 2,080: $18/hour ≈ $37,440/year.

Key takeaways

  • Payroll multiplies decimal hours × rate — convert minutes first (minutes ÷ 60).
  • Overtime is computed per workweek even when pay is biweekly or monthly.
  • Gross pay ≠ take-home: withholding and FICA come out after this calculation.
  • Salary ↔ hourly: divide annual salary by 2,080, or multiply hourly by 2,080.
  • Need the hours themselves? Total time cards first in the time card calculator, then price them here.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate payroll hours?
Total each employee’s worked time per workweek, deduct unpaid breaks, convert minutes to decimal hours (minutes ÷ 60), and split hours into regular and overtime. 41 hours 30 minutes is 41.5 payroll hours — 40 regular and 1.5 overtime under federal rules.
How do I calculate gross pay from hours?
Gross pay = regular hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × 1.5 (+ double-time hours × 2). For 80 regular hours and 4 OT hours at $19: 80 × $19 + 4 × $28.50 = $1,634 for the biweekly period.
How many pay periods are in a year?
Weekly pay has 52 periods, biweekly 26, semimonthly 24 and monthly 12. Biweekly employees get three paychecks in two months of the year, which is why biweekly and semimonthly amounts differ even at the same salary.
Does this calculate taxes or net pay?
No — it calculates gross pay only. Federal, state and local withholding plus FICA depend on your W-4, filing status and state; your employer’s payroll provider or the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator handles net pay. Treat results here as the before-tax number on your pay stub.
How do payroll systems round hours?
Most round to the nearest quarter hour using the 7/8-minute rule, or to 1/10 hour (6 minutes). Rounding must be neutral over time — always rounding down is a wage violation. The time card calculator supports these rounding modes per day.

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