$20 an Hour Is How Much a Year?
Working a standard 40-hour week for 52 paid weeks, $20 an hour comes out to $41,600 a year before tax — about $800 a week, $1,600 biweekly, or $3,467 a month. Because hourly pay scales directly with hours, the annual figure moves fast when your schedule does: $36,400 at 35 hours, $20,800 at 20. Overtime beyond 40 hours typically pays time-and-a-half, $30.00 an hour at this rate. Enter your own hours below, then check the after-tax estimate to see what actually lands in your account.
$20 an hour breakdown
Prefer the other direction? See $42,000 a year is how much an hour, or use the full Salary Calculator.
$20 an hour part-time and overtime
Hourly pay scales with your schedule, so the "how much a year" answer depends on the hours you actually work. Here's $20 an hour across common weekly schedules (52 paid weeks), plus the overtime rate — most non-exempt workers earn at least time-and-a-half ($30.00/hr) past 40 hours a week under the FLSA.
| Hours per week | Weekly pay | Annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| 20 hrs | $400 | $20,800 |
| 25 hrs | $500 | $26,000 |
| 30 hrs | $600 | $31,200 |
| 35 hrs | $700 | $36,400 |
| 40 hrs (full-time) | $800 | $41,600 |
$20 an hour after taxes
Full-time at $20 an hour ($41,600 a year), estimated federal income tax is about $2,812 for a single filer taking the 2026 standard deduction — an effective rate of 6.8%, with the top dollar taxed in the 12% bracket. That leaves roughly $38,788 in federal take-home pay: about $3,232 a month, or an effective $18.65 an hour. Social Security and Medicare (FICA, about 7.65%) come out of every paycheck on top of that, and most states add income tax of their own — while nine (including Texas and Florida) charge none. Try other filing statuses in the Income Tax Calculator.
Federal income tax only (2026 brackets, standard deduction, full-time hours). Excludes FICA and state/local tax.
Jobs that pay around $20 an hour
These occupations have a national median wage closest to $20 an hour (full-time equivalent), per the Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, May 2024). Actual pay varies widely by state, metro area and experience.
| Occupation | ≈ Median hourly | Median annual |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing assistants | $19.04 | $39,610 |
| Customer service representatives | $19.08 | $39,680 |
| Delivery drivers | $19.21 | $39,950 |
| Pharmacy technicians | $19.38 | $40,300 |
| Medical assistants | $20.19 | $42,000 |
How $20/hr compares to nearby wages
| Hourly wage | Annual | Monthly | Federal take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| $18 an hour | $37,440 | $3,120 | $35,127 |
| $19 an hour | $39,520 | $3,293 | $36,958 |
| $21 an hour | $43,680 | $3,640 | $40,618 |
| $22 an hour | $45,760 | $3,813 | $42,449 |
| $20 an hour (this page) | $41,600 | $3,467 | $38,788 |
Take-home is federal income tax only (2026, single filer, standard deduction, full-time hours), before FICA and state tax.
Is $20 an hour good pay?
A useful yardstick: the median U.S. full-time worker earns about $28.85 an hour ($60,000/year), so $20 runs roughly 31% below that. Context does the rest: in low-cost regions $20 an hour at steady full-time hours covers a single person's budget tightly, while in expensive metros rent claims a much bigger share. Guaranteed hours, overtime access ($30.00/hr at time-and-a-half) and benefits often matter more than small differences in the base rate. And plan around net pay — federal tax alone brings the effective rate near $18.65 an hour before FICA and state taxes.