How many work hours are in a year?
The standard answer is 2,080 hours. The real number depends on the year, holidays and time off — here are the figures for 2025 to 2030 and how to work out your own.
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The standard figure: 2,080 hours
A full-time job of 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours a year. That's the number most employers and payroll systems use to turn a salary into an hourly rate and back: $50,000 ÷ 2,080 = $24.04 an hour.
Weekdays and working days by year
A year has 52 weeks plus one or two extra days, so it has 260, 261 or occasionally 262 weekdays. Taking out the 11 US federal holidays when they fall on a weekday gives the working days.
| Year | Weekdays | Federal holidays on weekdays | Working days | Hours (all weekdays × 8) | Hours without holidays |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,088 | 2,000 |
| 2026 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,088 | 2,000 |
| 2027 | 261 | 12 | 249 | 2,088 | 1,992 |
| 2028 | 260 | 10 | 250 | 2,080 | 2,000 |
| 2029 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,088 | 2,000 |
| 2030 | 261 | 11 | 250 | 2,088 | 2,000 |
Federal holidays are counted on the day they're observed. 2027 has 12 because New Year's Day 2028 falls on a Saturday and is observed on Friday, December 31, 2027 — which is also why 2028 has only 10. Count any date range with the work days calculator.
Hours per month, week and day
| Period | At 40 hours a week | How it's worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 2,080 | 40 × 52 |
| Month (average) | 173.33 | 2,080 ÷ 12 |
| Semimonthly pay period | 86.67 | 2,080 ÷ 24 |
| Biweekly pay period | 80 | 40 × 2 |
| Week | 40 | |
| Day | 8 | 40 ÷ 5 |
Real months have 20 to 23 working days, so the hours in a particular month range from about 160 to 184 at 8 hours a day.
Hours you actually work
The 2,080 figure includes paid holidays and vacation. To estimate the hours you actually spend working, subtract them:
Example: 40 hours a week, 11 paid holidays and 15 days of paid vacation
- Paid time off: (11 + 15) × 8 = 208 hours.
- Hours actually worked: 2,080 − 208 = 1,872 hours.
- Your hourly pay stays the same — the holidays and vacation are paid — but your earnings per hour actually worked are about 11% higher.
Why the federal government uses 2,087
Over a 28-year cycle the calendar averages slightly more than 52 weeks a year, which works out to 2,087 hours. Federal agencies divide annual salaries by 2,087 to set hourly rates for their own employees. Private employers almost always use 2,080.
Frequently asked questions
How many work hours are in 2027?
2027 has 261 weekdays — 2,088 hours at 8 hours a day. Without the 12 federal holidays observed in 2027, that's 249 working days, or 1,992 hours. For salary math, most employers still use 2,080.
How many work hours are in 2026?
261 weekdays, or 2,088 hours at 8 a day; 250 working days (2,000 hours) without the 11 federal holidays.
How many work hours are in a month?
173.33 on average at 40 hours a week (2,080 ÷ 12). A specific month has between about 160 and 184.
How many hours is part time?
There's no federal definition. Employers often treat under 30 or 35 hours a week as part time; 30 hours a week is 1,560 hours a year.
Sources
- Federal holidays: 5 U.S.C. 6103 and U.S. Office of Personnel Management rules for weekend holidays. Weekday counts calculated from the calendar.
- 2,087-hour divisor for federal employees: 5 U.S.C. 5504.