$20 an Hour Is How Much a Year? Is it Enough to Live Off?
If you’re earning $20 an hour, you might be wondering if $20 an hour is how much a year. So, let’s dig deeper and see how much you’ll make weekly, monthly, or even annually with $20 an hour.
$20 an Hour Is How Much a Year
You can use a salary calculator to determine how much you can make in a year or do simple math. For example, determining how much you make annually if your hourly wage is $20 depends on how many hours are actual paid time hours you work in a year. For example, some people may only work 10 hours a week, while others work 30 hours a week. But if you work 52 weeks per annum full-time with no unpaid leave and work full-time at 40 hours weekly, you multiply 52 weeks by 40, which equals 2,080 hours of work in a year.
So, $20 an hour is how much a year? When you multiply the work hours by the rate of $20 per hour, it means you will be making $41,600 as your yearly income.
Let’s assume that you work full-time, 40 hours each week, with two weeks of unpaid vacation. That means you are working 50 weeks with a 40-hour work week, translating into 2,000 working hours per year. Therefore, if you work 2,000 hours at $20 per hour, you will be making $40,000 per year for all hours worked.
If you work 20 hours part-time, you can get your annual wage by multiplying 20 hours by 52 weeks, which equals 1,040 hours. When you multiply this number of hours with the hourly rate of $20, you get $20,800 for your annual salary-based income.
When you get paid by the hour, it can be good to track your number of hours worked. If your occupation lets you work overtime, it’s a great way to increase your gross pay. When you probably won’t work overtime each week, picking up some extra shifts here and there can add up at the end of the month.
However, it would help if you remembered that these figures are gross income, and your annual income will reduce when you consider the taxes and other deductions.
How Much Is $20 an Hour Annually After Taxes?
Budgeting can help to know how much you make after taxes. Taxes can eat a large percent of your income, and therefore, they can help understand your take-home salary after taxes. Calculating your actual paycheck will be beneficial for any salaried employee.
Your take-home figure will be more petite when taking into account taxes, insurance, 401k, and other deductions. So, how much will your annual net income be after tax?
There is no standard answer to this question. That is because the tax amount depends on various factors, such as taxable income adjustments, filing status, tax deductions, exceptions, tax credits, and more.
Using the Tax Calculator, you can determine your net income after tax. For example, if you pay federal income tax at a rate of 12% and state income taxes at a rate of 4% and 7.65% is taken for Social Security and Medicare (FICA), your earnings will be as follows:
Gross Annual Salary: $41,600
- 12% federal taxes: $4,992
- 4% State Taxes: $1,664
- 7.65% Social Security and Medicare: $3,182
Net income after taxes and deductions: $31,762
The assumption in this calculation is that you have 2,080 working hours. Therefore, when we divide the annual net income of $31,762 by 2,080 hours, it is clear that your net earnings will be $15.27 per hour, and that means $4.73 an hour gets deducted from your gross earnings.
It will all depend on your situation, and the deduction may change when you consider your unique situation. That is why the figures aren’t constant. For example, if you change your resident state, get married, get children, buy a home, or plan to retire, the amount of taxes you pay will vary.
For example, some states don’t charge taxes, while others have a higher tax rate. Here are the states with no income tax:
- Alaska
- Florida
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Washington
- Wyoming
How Much Is $20 an Hour per Month?
To determine how much you will be earning per month, you can divide your annual salary by 12 to get your monthly salary. As we noted earlier, the total number of hours you work in a year is 2,080, making a gross income of $41,600. When we divide your gross earnings by 12, this translates into a monthly earning of $3,466.67.
Alternatively, when you get paid every four weeks, we must consider that your salary will differ slightly. Multiply 40 hours a week by four and $20 to give you $3,200 per four weeks.
How Much Is a $20 Hourly Wage per Week?
How much you make in a week depends on the number of hours you work. If we assume that you work full-time (40 hours a week), all you need to do is multiply the 40 hours by $20 per hour, and that leaves you with $800 per week.
If you work part-time, for instance, 20 hours a week, your weekly wage will be $400.
How Much Is $20 per Hour Biweekly?
If your weekly earnings are $800 at 40 hours, then it goes without saying that you will be earning $1,600 biweekly at 80 hours. So, all you need to do is multiply your weekly wages by two.
But if you work 20 hours a week, your biweekly salary will be $400 multiplied by two, making it $800.
How Much Is $20 an Hour per Day?
Typical working days in America have 8 hours, and therefore, you should take your hourly wage and multiply it by 8. Your salary of $20 an hour multiplied by eight makes it $160 per day.
Tips To Live on $20 an Hour.
If you want to live comfortably on $20 an hour, here are a few tips to follow:
- Create a budget. Ensure that you live on a budget to know where every dollar goes. You can use an example budget planner to help you understand where each dollar goes and track monthly or weekly. To get you started, search online for a sample monthly budget.
- Pay off high-interest debt first. It is crucial to start paying off your debt, as interest on loans will quickly eat up your income.
- Save consistently. Making sure that you save a portion of your earnings will help build a financial cushion that you can use in emergencies. So, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to start saving money regularly.
- Do some side hustle. Finding ways to make more money can increase your savings and boost your income. You can freelance, flip things for profit, or even participate in high-paid clinical trials.
- Live below your means. Buy only the essential things for you and the items you need.
What Jobs Pay $20 an Hour?
You should be on the lookout for specific jobs if you are looking forward to earning at least $20 a day. You can work as a:
- Plumber
- Solar installer
- Carpenter
- Bookkeeper
- Maintenance mechanic
- Interior designer
- Wind turbine technician
- Insurance agent
- Medical coder
- Proofreader
Related: $18 An Hour Is How Much A Year: Successful Jobs That Pay That Much
Is $20 an Hour Good Pay?
Before we answer this question, let’s find out where your hourly wage stands in the bigger picture. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the average hourly wage in the US is $29.93, and the median hourly wage in 2020 was $16.36. Therefore, if you make $20 per hour, you earn less than the national average.
To determine if making 20 dollars per hour is a good wage, we need first to identify your residential area to determine the cost of living. For example, suppose you live in a more expensive state like New York, California, or Hawaii. You will most likely struggle to survive on this income, especially if you are the sole income earner in the family.
However, if you live in more affordable states like Oklahoma, Kansas, and Mississippi, you can comfortably live on $20 hourly pay.
Can You Live On $20 an Hour?
Whether you can live on $20 an hour or not will depend on your circumstances. For instance, if you are a single person with no kids, you can easily live on $20 an hour. But if you are married and need to pay rent, it can be harder to live on $20 an hour.
Is $20 an Hour Enough to Buy a House?
If you earn $20 an hour, your gross monthly income is $3,467. This amount is the lender’s figure to determine if you qualify for a home loan.
You can buy a home with a down payment of 3% and a conventional loan. However, the amount you pay for the house will depend on your monthly debts and your credit score, and the credit score will determine the rate you will get and the cost of your monthly mortgage insurance (PMI).
For instance, if your credit score is 760 or higher and you have no monthly debt, your lender can allow you to spend about 50% of your gross income on buying a home. Therefore, you can get a house with a total monthly repayment of $1,750.
Your qualifying amount will be less if you have other financial obligations, like car repayment, student loans, or credit card debt.
Related: $15 An Hour Is How Much a Year? Successful Jobs That Make That Much
Conclusion – $20 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
Exactly how much is $20 an hour annually? Getting $20 an hour as your hourly compensation for hours worked amounts to $41,600 before tax or around $31,762 yearly after tax.
The bigger question here is if it is enough as your payroll income. These hourly wages may be above the minimum wage, but can you survive with this take-home pay?
Is it enough for employees receiving this wage rate to be compensated for all the hours worked? While making $20 is more than the minimum hourly rate, it may not seem appealing as an hourly salary, especially after income tax considerations.
However, when you look at your yearly salary, it’s probably more than you thought. If you are unsure, use a wage calculator to find out. And given that your take-home pay depends on the hours of work you put in, getting overtime pay or additional working hours can help you further.
Your salary amount can still help you reach your financial goals. Your financial independence has got to start somewhere, right? It’s a grind, but it’s a grind worth doing.
