Money / Jobs

$30,000 A Year Is How Much An Hour?

$30,000 A Year Is How Much An Hour
Net Pay Factors

Succesfull woman, female carreer concept.

Prostock-Studio / Getty Images/iStockphoto

When looking for a job, pay is a big factor in deciding whether or not to apply. Employers in Colorado are now required to include compensation on their job posts, but that is before taxes and doesn’t include any benefits. If one posting is paid by the hour and one is salaried, how do you compare them?

$30,000 A Year Is How Much An Hour?

A annual salary of $30,000, working 40 hours per week (assuming it’s a full-time job of 8 hours per day), will get you $14.71 per hour.

Bonus Offer: Earn up to $1,500 by opening a Citi Priority Account with required activities.

Gross Pay

The chart below breaks down an annual salary of $30,000 into what your gross pay would be for common pay periods.

Pay Period	Gross Pay	Math
Hourly	$14.71	$30,000 / 2040 hours
Daily	$82.19	$30,000 / 365 days
Weekly	$576.92	$30,000 / 52 weeks
Biweekly	$1153.85	$30,000 / 52 weeks x 2
1st and 15th	$1250	$30,000 / 12 months / 2
Monthly	$2500	$30,000 / 12 months

Net Pay

Even though your gross pay is a line on your pay stub, your net pay is how much you actually get in your bank account. This is after all of your deductions, including contributions to things like retirement accounts, not just taxes. You will have to adjust for your personal contributions and deductions, but the chart below can get you started.

Make Your Money Work Better for You

This chart is how much net pay you would receive for each of the common pay periods if you claim zero deductions and file single on your W-4. Based on the effective tax rate for 2021 of approximately 18.99%*. The effective tax rate is the average rate that a person is taxed, because the U.S. uses a progressive tax system with marginal rates. The progressive system in the US means that the first 9950 is always put in the 10% tax bucket, then anything over that up to $40,524 is put in the 12% tax bucket, etc. The rate used here is calculated by adding the effective tax rate, the employee’s social security contribution and the employee’s medicare contribution.

Bonus Offer: Find a Checking Account that Fits Your Lifestyle. $100 Bonus Offer for New Checking Account Customers.

*Formula to get the effective tax rate: [(9950 x .1)+[(30000-9950) x .12]+(30000 x .062)+(30000 x .0145)] / 30000 =.18986667

Pay Period	Net Pay for Filing Single	Math
Hourly	$11.91	($30,000 / 2040 hours) x (1 – .1899)
Daily	$66.58	($30,000 / 365 days) x (1 – .1899)
Weekly	$467.37	($30,000 / 52 weeks) x (1 – .1899)
Biweekly	$934.73	($30,000 / 52 weeks x 2) x (1 – .1899)
1st and 15th	$1012.63	($30,000 / 12 months / 2) x (1 – .1899)
Monthly	$2025.25	($30,000 / 12 months) x (1 – .1899)

The numbers above still aren’t exactly what your check will be, because states can also collect income tax. State tax rates vary, but nine states don’t collect any income taxes.

Make Your Money Work Better for You

These states are:

Alaska
Florida
Nevada
New Hampshire
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Washington
Wyoming

Other Factors Affecting Net Pay

Taxes aren’t the only factors that affect net pay. If you contribute to an HSA or FSA, your net pay will be lower, but it will save you money in the long run. If your employer offers reimbursements, that will make your net pay higher.

You can also increase your net pay on your check by increasing the deductions on your W-4. Make sure you can actually take those deductions or you will have to pay them back when you file your taxes.

Takeaway

Converting $30,000 a year into an hourly gross rate is easy, but figuring out how much you will actually take home can get complicated.

Our in-house research team and on-site financial experts work together to create content that’s accurate, impartial, and up to date. We fact-check every single statistic, quote and fact using trusted primary resources to make sure the information we provide is correct. You can learn more about GOBankingRates’ processes and standards in our editorial policy.

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. "Equal Pay for Equal Work Act, Part 2."
IRS. 2020. "IRS Provides Tax Inflation Adjustments for Tax Year 2021."
Social Security Administration. "Contribution and Benefit Base."
Business Insider. 2021. "States With No Income Tax Map."
CNBC. 2019. "How an FSA or HSA Can Save You Money on Medical Costs."
IRS. 2021. "Tax Withholding."

About the Author

Diane Fogle is the owner and sole freelance writer at The Little Green Bird. She received her Masters of Library and Information Science from the University of Denver. The research skills gained through that program, combined with a love of learning and intellectual freedom, have led her to a passion for helping businesses communicate with their customers. She lives in Colorado where she hikes with her husband, two young daughters and an old greyhound.