How to use
- Enter paid hours per day and your pay as an hourly rate or a daily amount.
- Enter one-way commute minutes plus time spent getting ready and winding down.
- Read your real day length, real hourly rate and unpaid hours, and download a shareable image.
Worked example: An 8-hour day that is really 9.75
8 paid hours at $20.00 is $160.00 a day. A 30-minute commute each way, 30 minutes getting ready and 15 minutes winding down add 105 minutes: the real day is 585 minutes, 9:45.
Real rate = $160.00 ÷ 9.75 h = $16.41 per hour instead of $20.00. Five days a week the unpaid time is 8:45 per week, about 38 hours a month and 455 hours a year.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as the real work day?
Paid hours + 2 × one-way commute + getting ready + winding down.
How is the real hourly rate calculated?
Daily pay divided by the real day in hours, rounded to the cent.
Is commute time paid under the FLSA?
Ordinary home-to-work travel is not. This tool is for seeing the true cost of a job, not for payroll.
How is the monthly figure computed?
Weekly unpaid time × 52 ÷ 12.
What is in the downloaded image?
A 1200 × 630 PNG with your real day, unpaid time and real rate, drawn in your browser.
Can I compare two jobs?
Run the numbers for each and compare the real hourly rates; the share link keeps each set.