How much is $15 an hour a year?
Multiply by 2,080, the hours in a full-time year of 40-hour weeks. For $15, the math is quick: $15 × 2,080. Here is the same pay cut into the periods most paychecks use:
| Period | Gross pay |
|---|---|
| Per year | $31,200 |
| Per month | $2,600.00 |
| Every two weeks | $1,200.00 |
| Per week | $600.00 |
| Per 8-hour day | $120.00 |
Use your own hoursLive
Open the full calculator → How does $15 an hour compare with the federal minimum wage?
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act, $15,080 a year full time. At $15 you earn 2.07 times that: $16,120 more a year before taxes.
Many states and cities set their own, higher minimum wage, and employers must pay whichever is higher. If yours is above $15, your employer has to pay that instead; check your state labor department.
What if you work fewer hours or take unpaid time off?
The yearly figure moves with every hour you are not paid. At $15 an hour:
| Hours a week | Paid weeks | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 52 | $15,600 |
| 30 | 52 | $23,400 |
| 35 | 52 | $27,300 |
| 40 | 52 | $31,200 |
| 40 | 50 (two unpaid weeks) | $30,000 |
If your vacation or holidays are unpaid, lower the paid weeks in the calculator below.
Official sources
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026): Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods · 2026 federal income tax withholding tables
- IRS Topic No. 751: Social Security and Medicare Withholding Rates · Social Security and Medicare withholding rates
- Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. § 207: maximum hours and overtime · time and a half over 40 hours a week