The result is before federal, state and payroll taxes and benefit deductions. Overtime rules depend on how the employer defines the workweek, and some states require daily overtime. Shift differentials, tips and bonuses are not included.
For salaried employees, gross pay is the salary divided by the periods.
Gross Pay: worked example
| Hourly rate | $22 |
|---|---|
| Regular hours per period | 40 |
| Overtime hours per period | 6 |
| Overtime multiplier | 1.5 |
| Pay periods per year | 26 |
| Gross pay per period | $1,078 |
| Gross pay per year | $28,028 |
Gross Pay: formula
Enter the base hourly rate and the paid regular and overtime hours for one pay period. Keep the workweek separate from the payroll period when applying overtime rules. The annual result multiplies that period’s pay by the entered payroll count; it assumes the same paid hours recur.
Common error: Treating gross pay as take-home pay. Taxes, insurance and retirement contributions come out afterward, so the deposit will be noticeably smaller.
Gross Pay: changing Hourly rate
| Hourly rate | Gross pay per period | Gross pay per year |
|---|---|---|
| $18 | $882 | $22,932 |
| $20 | $980 | $25,480 |
| $22 (example) | $1,078 | $28,028 |
| $24 | $1,176 | $30,576 |
| $26 | $1,274 | $33,124 |
Gross Pay: compare input ranges
| Input | Tested from | To | Gross pay per period: low input | Gross pay per period: high input | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $20 | $24 | $980 | $1,176 | $196 (18%) |
| Regular hours per period | 36 | 44 | $990 | $1,166 | $176 (16%) |
| Overtime hours per period | 4 | 8 | $1,012 | $1,144 | $132 (12%) |
| Overtime multiplier | 1.4 | 1.7 | $1,058 | $1,098 | $40 (3.7%) |
| Pay periods per year | 23 | 29 | $1,078 | $1,078 | $0.00 |
Gross Pay: individual input comparisons
| Input | Value | Gross pay per period | Gross pay per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $18 | $882 | $22,932 |
| $20 | $980 | $25,480 | |
| $22 | $1,078 | $28,028 | |
| $24 | $1,176 | $30,576 | |
| $26 | $1,274 | $33,124 | |
| Regular hours per period | 32 | $902 | $23,452 |
| 36 | $990 | $25,740 | |
| 40 | $1,078 | $28,028 | |
| 44 | $1,166 | $30,316 | |
| 48 | $1,254 | $32,604 | |
| Overtime hours per period | 2 | $946 | $24,596 |
| 4 | $1,012 | $26,312 | |
| 6 | $1,078 | $28,028 | |
| 8 | $1,144 | $29,744 | |
| 10 | $1,210 | $31,460 | |
| Overtime multiplier | 1.2 | $1,038 | $26,998 |
| 1.4 | $1,058 | $27,513 | |
| 1.5 | $1,078 | $28,028 | |
| 1.7 | $1,098 | $28,543 | |
| 1.8 | $1,118 | $29,058 | |
| Pay periods per year | 21 | $1,078 | $22,638 |
| 23 | $1,078 | $24,794 | |
| 26 | $1,078 | $28,028 | |
| 29 | $1,078 | $31,262 | |
| 31 | $1,078 | $33,418 |
Gross Pay: combined input changes
| Hourly rate / Regular hours per period | 32 | 40 | 48 |
|---|---|---|---|
| $18 | $738 | $882 | $1,026 |
| $20 | $820 | $980 | $1,140 |
| $22 | $902 | $1,078 | $1,254 |
| $24 | $984 | $1,176 | $1,368 |
| $26 | $1,066 | $1,274 | $1,482 |
Gross Pay: which assumptions move the result?
Gross Pay: values and definitions
| Quantity and definition | Value used |
|---|---|
| Hourly rate | $22 |
| Regular hours per period | 40 |
| Overtime hours per period | 6 |
| Overtime multiplier — 1.5 is time-and-a-half. | 1.5 |
| Pay periods per year — 26 for every two weeks, 52 for weekly, 24 for twice a month, 12 for monthly. | 26 |
| Gross pay per period | $1,078 |
| Gross pay per year | $28,028 |
Gross Pay: half and double Hourly rate
| Hourly rate | Gross pay per period |
|---|---|
| $11 | $539 |
| $22 | $1,078 |
| $44 | $2,156 |
Taxes & Paycheck calculators: PTO Accrual Calculator, 2026 Federal Income Tax Calculator, Take-Home Pay Calculator, Self-Employment Tax Calculator, Capital Gains Tax Calculator, Sales Tax Calculator.
Gross pay is the paycheck before any tax or deduction comes out. At $22 an hour, 40 regular hours and 6 overtime hours paid at time and a half, a period earns $880 plus $198, or $1,078. Repeated over 26 pay periods, that is $28,028 a year.
The overtime multiplier changes the picture fast: the same 6 hours at straight time would add only $132.
Confirm how many pay periods the employer uses in a year. Twenty-four and twenty-six are common and give annual totals about 8 percent apart.
Estimate what reaches your bank account on the paycheck and take-home pay calculators, and see the overtime pay page for weekly detail. The salary-to-hourly calculators convert between pay types. The employee cost calculator shows what a wage costs an employer, including taxes and benefits.
Is gross pay the same as my salary?
Gross pay is earnings before any deductions. Net pay is what remains after taxes, benefits and other withholdings.
How is overtime calculated?
Hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate for non-exempt workers, and some states and contracts add daily overtime or higher multipliers.
How many pay periods are in a year?
The annualizing model uses 52 weekly periods. Biweekly uses 26. Semimonthly uses 24, and monthly uses 12.
Check the actual payroll calendar. A year can have 53 weekly or 27 biweekly paydays. Counting checks received in that year differs from converting a stated annual salary into its contractual periodic payment.