Converting between hourly rates and salaries, properly
The quick conversion everyone uses — hourly rate × 38 hours × 52 weeks — answers the easy question. The full-time standard in Australia is a 38-hour week, so $45/hour becomes $88,920 a year. Going the other way, divide: a $90,000 salary is $45.55/hour. The calculator lets you change both the hours and the weeks, because the standard assumptions rarely match real working patterns — part-timers work fewer hours, and many casuals and contractors have unpaid gaps between engagements.
Casual loading is the detail most converters ignore. Casual employees typically receive a 25% loading on the base rate in place of paid annual leave, personal leave and notice. That means a casual rate and a permanent salary aren't directly comparable: a $50/hour casual rate corresponds to roughly a $40/hour permanent rate before entitlements. Toggle "casual rate" and the calculator shows the permanent-equivalent salary (or, converting from a salary, the casual rate that would match it).
Weeks matter as much as hours. A permanent employee is paid for 52 weeks including four weeks of annual leave. A casual paid $60/hour who realistically works 46 weeks earns $104,880 — not the $118,560 the naive 52-week maths suggests. If you're weighing casual against permanent work, set the weeks honestly and compare take-home, not headline rates.
Because this calculator runs on the same verified tax engine as the rest of PayExpert, every conversion also shows your estimated take-home pay after income tax, the Medicare levy and HECS for the selected financial year — plus the employer super that should be paid on top of ordinary-time earnings for most workers, casual or permanent.
Loadings and minimum rates vary by award and agreement, so treat the 25% figure as typical rather than universal. General information only — not tax advice.