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$18 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
At 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year, $18 an hour is $37,440 a year before tax — about $3,120 a month and $720 a week. After estimated federal tax and FICA you keep roughly $31,623.
The math
$18 × 40 hours × 52 weeks = $37,440. If your schedule is different, the total moves with you:
| Hours per week | Annual | Monthly | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 (part time) | $18,720 | $1,560 | $360 |
| 37.5 | $35,100 | $2,925 | $675 |
| 40 (full time) | $37,440 | $3,120 | $720 |
| 45 | $42,120 | $3,510 | $810 |
| 50 | $46,800 | $3,900 | $900 |
Most hourly jobs pay for actual hours worked, so a week off without pay removes roughly $720 from your year. Federal law (FLSA) requires 1.5× pay for hours over 40 in a workweek for most non-exempt employees; if you regularly work 45 hours at $18, overtime pushes the year to $44,460.
What $18 an hour looks like after tax
For a single filer with no dependents in California, $37,440 gross works out to about $31,623 take-home a year — $2,635 a month, or $15.20 for every hour worked. That is an effective rate of 15.5% across federal income tax, state income tax, Social Security and Medicare.
| Item | Annual | Monthly |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $37,440 | $3,120 |
| Federal income tax | −$2,313 | −$193 |
| State income tax | −$640 | −$53 |
| Social Security + Medicare | −$2,864 | −$239 |
| Take-home | $31,623 | $2,635 |
Is $18 an hour a good wage?
The median full-time annual wage in the United States is about $48,940. $37,440 sits below that line by $11,500, which is 77% of the median. On a 40-hour week the federal minimum wage of $7.25 brings in $15,080, so $18 is 2.5× the floor.