$18 An Hour Is How Much A Year: Successful Jobs That Pay That Much
If your daily wage is making 18 dollars an hour, you may be wondering how much this is a year. Is this enough to help you live comfortably? Can you afford a house on that wage? Of course, you will need to know exactly how much you make to answer these questions.
To create a reasonable budget, you will need to convert your hourly earnings into annual or monthly earnings. That can also help you know how much you should commit to different household expenses.
This article will provide you with the ultimate guide on an $18 hourly wage and how much this will translate into weekly, biweekly, monthly, and annual income. We will also know if $18 an hour is good pay and what job you can do to get that wage.
$18 An Hour Is How Much A Year?
Before we dive into these topics, let’s answer the question, $18 an hour is how much in a year? But do you know how to calculate this? First, you will need to multiply the hourly rate by the number of hours worked and the number of weeks you will be working in a year. As you know, a year has 52 weeks.
If you work 40 hours in a week, you should multiply your hourly rate by 40 hours which equals 2,080 working hours annually. Therefore, if you will be working 2,080 hours annually at a rate of $18, this means you will make $37,440 per year.
Just keep in mind that this is before any taxes or vacation time.
$18 An Hour Is How Much A Year As A Full-Time Salary?
The IRS states that a full-time employee works 30-40 hours per week. Therefore, working for 30-40 hours per week on an $18 hourly rate gives you $28,080-$37,440 per year before taxes.
Therefore, if you have 30 work hours per week and earn 18 dollars hourly, that gives you $28,080 per year or $37,440 per year if you work weekly at 40 hours before taxes.
That is the pay salary before any extra hours you work, which may increase your annual paycheck with overtime pay for every additional hour of your working days. Besides that, there’s also the possibility that your yearly salary will decrease because of unpaid sick leave or unpaid holiday leave.
$18 An Hour Is How Much A Year When Working Part-Time?
When working part-time, your salary will depend on how many hours you work and your hourly pay rate. Therefore, part-time workers should know their base hourly rate to consider the net wage they will make.
If you work 52 weeks of the year, your earnings before tax will be $18,720 ($18 an hour times 20 hours a week times 52 weeks). You can use a salary calculator to compute your average annual salary.
Whether you will be working 10 hours, 18 hours, or 24 hours a week, you can use this same equation to calculate your earnings yearly at 52 weeks:
- For 10 hours per workweek, you’ll earn $9,360 per year
- For 18 hours per week, you’ll earn $16,848 per year
- For 25 hours a week, you’ll earn $23,400 per year
How Much Is $18 An Hour Annually After Taxes?
When calculating your annual income, it’s essential also to keep taxes into account because taxes affect your income and how much money you deposit into your bank account.
There are several multiple brackets for the federal income tax depending on your income and filing status. The rate ranges from 10% to 37%.
Suppose you earn $37,440 a year. You have to pay 15.1% (on average, depending on what state you reside in) for federal taxes, social security tax, and Medicare.
Your annual take-home pay will be around $31,788 after taxes, assuming that you are working a full-time job at 40 hours on a workweek. Depending on the state you live in, your local government can still reduce your take-home pay.
If you work part-time (about 25 hours a week), your annual take-home pay will be around $19,867.
When you have the flexibility to move around and work from home, it may be worth deciding if you want to move to a state without wage taxes like:
- Florida
- Alaska
- South Dakota
- Texas
- Nevada
- Wyoming
- Washington
How Much Is $18 An Hour Per Month?
Assuming that you work full-time at 40 hours in a week at an $18 an hour rate, your gross pay will be $3,120 per month, and your net income will be about $2,649 per month.
On the other hand, if you work part-time (around 25 hours in a week) and make $18 per hour, your gross income will be $1,950 per month, while your net income will be around $1,709 per month.
How Much Is $18 Hourly Rate Per Week?
If you work for 40 hours a week at a rate of $18 an hour, your weekly salary (before taxes) will be about $720 per week. That will translate to around $611 per week after taxes.
How Much Is $18 Per Hour Biweekly?
If you work 40 hours in a week at a rate of $18 per hour, your earnings will be double the weekly payment, which means you will be working 80 hours and earning $1,223 bi-weekly or every two weeks after taxes. But if you are working part-time (25 hours in a week) at the same rate, your biweekly wage rate will be around $853 after two weeks.
How Much Is $18 An Hour Per Day?
If you work for 8 hours a day at a rate of $18 per hour, your daily gross earnings will be $144. Therefore, your net daily earning will be around $122. On the other hand, if you work part-time (5 hours a day) at the same rate, your daily earnings will be $76 after taxes.
Tips To Live On $18 An Hour
It can be challenging living on an $18 hourly wage. Rates of pay like this can be challenging but are doable if you are up to it. But overall, this will depend on your budget and individual situation. The good news is that there are some steps you can take to ensure that the $18 per day wage is enough.
These include:
- Have a budget. A budget can help you plan your finances. But remember that this will only work if you stick to the budget.
- Find a side hustle to earn passive income that even fits your full-time job. Starting a side hustle can be challenging. But some passive income ideas will give you extra money, aren’t as time-consuming, and will fit your schedule.
- Check the discounts. When shopping, be on the lookout for deals. You can try out new clothes that have sales, or you can opt for thrifting. You can also get cashback rewards from your grocery shopping on a credit card.
What Jobs Pay 18 Dollars An Hour?
There are many jobs where you can make $18 an hour, and many don’t require formal education or prior work experience.
However, as with most jobs, having a high school diploma can improve your chances of landing the job. That said, here are jobs that pay an average salary of $18 per hour:
- Animal control worker
- Camera repair technician
- Audiovisual equipment repair/install
- General repairs and maintenance
- Medical assistant
- Quality control staff
- Bartender or waitstaff
- Pipelayer
- Telephone operator
- Opticians
Is $18 An Hour a Good Salary?
You already know how much you will be earning yearly, monthly, weekly, biweekly, and daily if your hourly wage is $18. But how good is $18 an hour? In 2020, the median income in the United States was $78,500 for each family, and in 2021, this median income rose to $79,900.
Therefore, if your annual pay is $37,440 per year, you are still significantly below the median income. However, if your family has more than one person earning an income, is frugal, and has no dependents, the $18 per hour can still be enough.
For instance, if you live with roommates where you share utility bills or live in a state with a low cost of living, you can still survive on $18 an hour and still manage to save some of your income.
Therefore, whether $18 an hour is suitable depends on the area you live in, your family situation, whether you have dependents, and your lifestyle. An income of $37,440 per annum also means you live above the poverty level of $12,760 per year for a single individual.
Can You Live On $18 An Hour?
As we noted earlier, several factors will determine if $18 an hour is enough to sustain you. These include:
- Number of your dependents
- Living expenses in your state
- Your spending habits
- Your debt situations
- Savings
That said, some people may find $18 to be enough for them, while others may find it to be frugal. For example, people paying an installment on their student loans or credit card debt will have a big piece of their earnings eaten.
$18 an hour may not be a livable wage if you have a family or a high debt to pay off. But if you live alone and your lifestyle is modest, you can live comfortably on an $18 hourly salary.
Likewise, if you live in a state where living costs are low, $18 an hour should be enough. But if you live in New York or California, where the cost of living is high, it can be hard living on $18 an hour.
Is $18 An Hour Enough To Buy A House?
It can be a tricky question because it depends on several factors such as:
If you have a savings account
Live in an area where the cost of living is low
Your debt to income ratio is more than 43%, which is the standard FHA guidelines
If you meet the above criteria, you can afford to buy a home with an annual wage of $37,440 per year.
How To Budget An Income Of $18 An Hour
As we have already noted, if you earn $18 per month, this will translate into $37,440 per annum. You can budget this amount as follows:
- Basic expenses: 50%
- Savings: 20%
- Shopping, fun & entertainment: 20%
- Miscellaneous expenses: 10%
The goal should ensure that your essential expenses don’t consume more than 50% of your income. Ensure that you allocate a certain amount on each expense and do not overspend on it. Here is a sample monthly expenses budget of a person earning $18 per hour or $2,649 per month.
Sample Monthly Budget
- Housing costs: $795
- Savings: $397
- Insurance: $397
- Food: $265
- Transportation: $265
- Recreation: $265
- Personal expenses: $132
- Utilities: $132
- Total Expenses: $2,649
Remember that your monthly budget should be based on your take-home and not your gross monthly income. That way, you can avoid budgeting for money that you will not receive.
Final Thoughts – $18 An Hour Is How Much A Year?
So, is $18 an hour a good wage? The answer depends on you and the situation you are in currently. It’s cutting it close in terms of budget, but it is doable. It would be best to work a few things out to maximize your $18 an hour base salary.
All good things start with something. And $18 an hour is something and is better than nothing. So if you do get this amount, know that you can live off of it so long as you plan wisely and carefully.