$15/hour on a part-time schedule
Not everyone works 40 hours. Here's the same wage across common weekly schedules, year-round:
| Hours / week | Yearly | Monthly | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | $15,600 | $1,300 | $300 |
| 25 | $19,500 | $1,625 | $375 |
| 30 | $23,400 | $1,950 | $450 |
| 35 | $27,300 | $2,275 | $525 |
| 40 | $31,200 | $2,600 | $600 |
What $15/hour keeps after taxes
For a single filer in 2026 with the standard deduction and no state tax, $31,200 gross becomes about $27,249: federal income tax takes $1,564 and Social Security & Medicare take $2,387 — an effective federal rate of 12.7%. If your state taxes wages, see your state's page for the exact bite; nine states take nothing.
Overtime changes the math in your favor: non-exempt hourly workers earn at least 1.5× — $22.50/hour — beyond 40 hours a week. Five hours of weekly overtime at this wage adds about $5,850 a year gross.
Frequently asked questions
+Is $15 an hour a good wage?
Full-time, $15/hour grosses $31,200 a year. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 (many states set higher floors), and U.S. median earnings for full-time workers are roughly $60,000 — so $15/hour is below the middle of full-time earnings. Whether it's "good" depends heavily on your local cost of living.
+How much is $15 an hour biweekly?
$1,200 gross per two-week paycheck at 40 hours a week. After federal income tax and FICA (single filer), closer to $1,048 — before any state tax.
+How much is $15 an hour after taxes?
About $27,249 a year after 2026 federal income tax ($1,564) and Social Security & Medicare ($2,387) for a single filer with the standard deduction — an effective federal rate of 12.7%. State income tax, where it applies, reduces it further.
+What salary is equivalent to $15 an hour with two weeks unpaid?
At 50 paid weeks instead of 52: $30,000. Unpaid time off is the hidden gap between hourly and salaried offers — a salary with paid vacation is worth more than its hourly equivalent.