Daily Pay Calculator
Work out your day rate — from an hourly wage, a weekly wage, or an annual salary.
| Hourly | Daily rate | Weekly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | $96 | $480 | $24,960 |
| $15.00 | $120 | $600 | $31,200 |
| $18.00 | $144 | $720 | $37,440 |
| $20.00 | $160 | $800 | $41,600 |
| $25.00 | $200 | $1,000 | $52,000 |
| $30.00 | $240 | $1,200 | $62,400 |
Frequently asked questions
What is a day rate?
A day rate is how much you earn for one full working day — commonly used for contractors, freelancers, and hourly staff comparing offers. It's your hourly rate multiplied by the hours you work in a typical day.
How do I calculate my daily rate from my hourly wage?
Multiply your hourly rate by the number of hours you work in a typical day. This calculator does that automatically — just enter your hourly rate and hours per day.
How do I calculate a daily rate from my annual salary?
Divide your annual salary by the number of working days in a year (typically 260 for a 5-day week, 52 weeks). Enter your salary above and switch the dropdown to "Annual salary" to get this instantly.
How much is $20 an hour per day?
At $20/hour and an 8-hour day, that's $160/day. Adjust the hours-per-day field above if your working day is longer or shorter.
Day rate vs hourly rate — what's the difference?
An hourly rate is what you're paid per hour worked; a day rate is a fixed amount for a full day regardless of the exact hours, common in contracting and freelance work. This tool converts cleanly between the two using your typical hours per day.
Does this daily rate include tax?
No — all figures shown are gross pay, before taxes and deductions. Your actual take-home amount will be lower depending on your tax situation.
How do I calculate daily pay?
Enter any pay figure you already know — hourly, weekly, monthly, or annual — above, and this daily pay calculator works out your day rate automatically, along with every other common pay period.
What is a daily salary calculator?
A daily salary calculator converts a salary or wage figure — however it's normally quoted — into a single day's pay. It's most useful for comparing job offers quoted in different pay periods, or for contractors who bill by the day.
Is there a pay-per-day calculator for contractors?
Yes — this tool works as a pay-per-day calculator for contractors and freelancers too. Enter your hourly or annual rate and your typical hours per day to see your day rate, which you can then use to quote or compare contract offers.
How many working days are in a year?
With a 5-day week and 52 weeks there are 260 working days, which is the figure this calculator uses. In practice the number you work is lower once public holidays and paid leave are taken out, which matters mainly when you are setting a contractor day rate.
How do I convert a day rate to an annual salary?
Multiply the day rate by the number of days you work in a year. For a 5-day week that is 260 days, so a $200 day rate is $52,000 a year if you are paid for every working day. For a contractor, use the days you expect to actually bill.
How do I work out daily pay for a 4-day week?
Set 'Working days per week' to 4. The calculator then divides your annual pay by 52 weeks and 4 days, so $60,000 a year gives about $288.46 a day instead of $230.77.
About this tool
This daily pay calculator converts an hourly wage, weekly pay, monthly pay, or annual salary into a clean daily rate — plus every other common pay period. All figures are gross (pre-tax) and assume a consistent schedule with no unpaid time off.
Worked examples
The calculator turns whatever figure you have into an annual amount first (using 52 weeks a year), then divides it back down to the pay period you want. Here are three typical cases.
From an annual salary. On $60,000 a year and a 5-day week, you work 52 × 5 = 260 days, so your daily rate is $60,000 ÷ 260 = $230.77. With an 8-hour day that is about $28.85 an hour.
From an hourly rate. At $25 an hour for a 7.5-hour day, daily pay is 25 × 7.5 = $187.50. Over a 5-day week that is $937.50, or $48,750 a year.
From a weekly wage on a 4-day week. If you take home $800 a week gross over 4 days, the daily rate is $800 ÷ 4 = $200. Set "Working days per week" to 4 so the calculator divides by the right number of days.
Daily rate by annual salary
For a quick comparison, here is what common annual salaries work out to on a standard 5-day, 40-hour week with no unpaid time off (52 weeks):
| Annual salary | Daily rate | Weekly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| $30,000 | $115 | $577 | $14.42 |
| $40,000 | $154 | $769 | $19.23 |
| $50,000 | $192 | $962 | $24.04 |
| $60,000 | $231 | $1,154 | $28.85 |
| $75,000 | $288 | $1,442 | $36.06 |
| $100,000 | $385 | $1,923 | $48.08 |
Day rate for contractors and freelancers
If you are self-employed, a day rate that simply matches an employee's daily pay will leave you short, because you are not paid for holidays, sickness or gaps between contracts. A common way to set it is to divide your target annual income by the number of days you realistically expect to bill, not the 260 working days in a year.
Example. To earn the equivalent of a $60,000 salary while expecting 30 unpaid days a year (holidays, sickness and gaps), you would bill 260 − 30 = 230 days. Your day rate would need to be $60,000 ÷ 230 = $260.87, compared with $230.77 on a salary. You would also need to cover your own tax, insurance, equipment and pension, so add those to your target before dividing.
This calculator assumes a steady schedule, so for contracting use it as a starting point, then adjust for the days you actually expect to bill.
Things to check when comparing pay
- Gross vs take-home. Every figure here is before tax. Use the take-home pay calculator to see what you actually keep, or the Irish take-home pay calculator if you are paid in Ireland.
- Paid vs unpaid time off. The 52-week assumption treats holidays as paid. If yours are unpaid, your effective annual pay is lower than the calculator shows.
- Hours per day. A "day" can mean 7, 7.5 or 8 hours depending on the employer, so check your contract before comparing day rates.
- Overtime and bonuses. They are not included. Add them separately if they are regular.
- Currency. The calculator shows figures with a dollar sign, but the arithmetic works the same in any currency.