Annual Hours Calculator
| Layer | Days | Hours (40h wk) |
|---|---|---|
| Gross year (52 weeks) | 260 | 2,080 |
| Minus federal holidays | −11 | −88 → 1,992 |
| Minus 10 PTO days | −10 | −80 → 1,912 |
| Minus 5 sick days | −5 | −40 → 1,872 |
The payroll baseline everyone quotes - 2,080 hours - is just 52 weeks times 40 hours, and almost nobody works it. Eleven federal holidays (set by statute at 5 U.S.C. 6103) take 88 hours, ten days of PTO take 80 more, and a typical sick allowance takes another 40-48: the realistic full-time year lands near 1,870 working hours, about 10% below the headline number. That gap is exactly why dividing salary by 2,080 slightly flatters your hourly rate, and why day-rate conventions (salary over 260) disagree with hour-rate conventions (salary over 2,080) by a few percent.
The honest hourly rate runs salary against ACTUAL hours: $78,000 over 2,080 reads $37.50 an hour, but over 1,872 real hours it reads $41.67 - the same person, two numbers, and only one of them survives a negotiation with yourself. The calculator below takes your holidays, PTO and sick allowance and returns the real annual figure, the per-paycheck hours, and the day and hour rates side by side.
How to use
- Enter your workweek hours (40 is full time), paid holidays (11 is the federal schedule), PTO days and sick days.
- Read gross baseline hours (weeks x week hours), actual working hours after time off, and the per-paycheck hours on your schedule.
- Compare the two hourly rates: salary over baseline versus salary over actual hours - the gap is your paid-time-off dividend.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the standard work year 2,080 hours?
52 weeks times 40 hours - it is a payroll convention, not a promise. The figure ignores holidays, vacation and sickness by design so benefits show up as separate line items; actual worked hours for a typical full-time employee land near 1,850-1,900 once the eleven federal holidays and a normal PTO allowance are subtracted.
How many federal holidays are there in 2026?
Eleven, set by 5 U.S.C. 6103: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas - and when one falls on a weekend, the observance slides to Friday or Monday, which shifts which week actually loses the day.
How many working days are in 2026?
261 weekdays (2026 starts and ends on a Thursday, so the year holds 52 full weeks plus one extra Thursday), and 250 after the eleven federal holidays. Multiply by 8 and the calendar answer is 2,088 gross weekday hours - one of the reasons employers' hour math varies between 2,080 and 2,088 baselines.
Should I divide salary by 2,080 or by actual hours?
Both, for different jobs: 2,080 is the hiring-market convention (offers compare cleanly), actual hours is the self-respect number (what your year truly pays per hour worked). A $78,000 salary is $37.50 an hour against 2,080 but $41.67 against 1,872 real hours - when converting to freelance rates, use the actual-hours figure and then add 30% for benefits and downtime.