TimesheetGuidesJob pay

Convert Your Hourly Rate to Annual Pay: A Guide Using the UNSW Professional Staff Salary

For a full-time UNSW professional staff member on a 38-hour week, the annual base salary is the hourly rate multiplied by 38 hours per week and 52 weeks per year.

Understanding the Hourly to Annual Conversion

When you have an hourly rate—whether from a job offer, an enterprise agreement, or the National Minimum Wage—the simplest way to estimate your annual gross pay is to multiply that rate by the hours you work each week, then by 52 weeks. This article uses the UNSW professional staff salary as a real-world example to walk through the calculation, including the 38-hour week, fortnightly pay, tax, and superannuation.

The Basic Formula

Annual gross pay = hourly rate × hours per week × 52

For a full-time employee, the standard work week is often 38 hours (the common full-time benchmark under the Fair Work Act). Some enterprise agreements, like the UNSW Professional Staff Enterprise Agreement, also allow for 35-hour weeks for certain roles. When converting, always check your contract or award. In this guide, we assume 38 hours unless stated otherwise.

UNSW Professional Staff Salary Example

According to the UNSW Enterprise Agreement (Professional) 2023, the hourly base rates for professional staff are set out in Schedule 1. For the lowest classification (Level 1), the rate from 1 July 2024 is $31.2462 per hour. The agreement also provides annual salaries for both 35-hour and 38-hour weeks.

Using the formula:

  • $31.2462 × 38 hours × 52 weeks = $61,742 (rounded)
  • This matches the annual base salary for a 38-hour week shown in the UNSW professional staff pay page.

If you work 35 hours, the annual figure would be $31.2462 × 35 × 52 = $56,868.

Fortnightly Pay

Many employers pay fortnightly. To find your gross fortnightly pay, multiply your weekly pay by 2. For the UNSW example:

  • Weekly pay (38 hours): $31.2462 × 38 = $1,187.36
  • Fortnightly: $1,187.36 × 2 = $2,374.72

This is before tax and any deductions.

National Minimum Wage vs. Award Rates

The National Minimum Wage from 1 July 2026 is $26.44 per hour, or $1,004.90 per week for 38 hours. That’s the legal floor. However, most employees are covered by an award or enterprise agreement that sets higher minimum rates. The UNSW professional staff salary is an example of an enterprise agreement rate that exceeds the national minimum. Always check the Fair Work Ombudsman pay guides for your industry.

Casual Loading

If you are a casual employee, you are entitled to a loading on top of the base hourly rate. Under the UNSW agreement, casuals get 25% loading. For the National Minimum Wage, the casual rate is $33.05 per hour ($26.44 × 1.25). When using a calculator like the timesheet, you can check a box to add the 25% casual loading. Do not enter a rate that already includes loading; enter the base rate and let the tool add it.

Tax and Medicare

Once you have your annual gross pay, you can estimate tax using the 2026–27 resident tax rates:

  • $0 – $18,200: nil
  • $18,201 – $45,000: 15% of excess over $18,200
  • $45,001 – $135,000: $4,020 + 30% of excess over $45,000
  • $135,001 – $190,000: $31,020 + 37% of excess over $135,000
  • Over $190,000: $51,370 + 45% of excess over $190,000

Plus the Medicare levy of 2% (using 2025–26 single reduction thresholds as 2026–27 thresholds were not confirmed). For a UNSW professional on $61,742, the tax would be approximately $4,020 + 30% × ($61,742 – $45,000) = $4,020 + $5,022.60 = $9,042.60, plus Medicare of $1,234.84, total $10,277.44. Your take-home pay would be about $51,464.56 per year.

Superannuation

Super is paid on top of your gross salary, not deducted from it. The super guarantee rate from 1 July 2026 is 12% of ordinary time earnings, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830 per year. For UNSW professional staff (non-casual), the employer contribution is 17% under the enterprise agreement. So on a $61,742 salary, the super contribution would be $61,742 × 17% = $10,496.14 (if under the cap). This is additional to your pay.

Using the Timesheet Calculator

Our the timesheet tool lets you type your base hourly rate and optionally add casual loading. It then shows your annual, weekly, and fortnightly gross pay, plus an estimate of tax and super. Remember: the annual figure assumes the same rate every week, no unpaid overtime, no penalty rates, and no salary sacrifice. Super is estimated at 12% of ordinary earnings (or the rate you specify) and stops at the maximum contribution base.

Other Resources

Summary

Converting an hourly rate to an annual salary is straightforward: hourly × hours per week × 52. The UNSW professional staff salary example shows how a specific enterprise agreement rate translates to annual, fortnightly, and weekly figures. Always check your own award or agreement, and remember that tax, Medicare, and super are additional considerations. Use our tools to get a quick estimate tailored to your situation.

Open the same rate on the home timesheet. Read the reference tables before treating a figure as your pay.

Try the rate on a timesheet

Adjust the timesheet

Year, gross$52,245.4452 weeks at this rate

Starts at the adult National Minimum Wage. Change the rate if the job pays more.

Level with the adult National Minimum Wage.

Mon$200.947.6 h
Tue$200.947.6 h
Wed$200.947.6 h
Thu$200.947.6 h
Fri$200.947.6 h
One fortnight$2,009.44 gross
  • Take-home
  • Tax
  • Medicare
Super 12%, paid on top$6,269.45 a year
Week
$1,004.72
Fortnight
$2,009.44
Take-home a year
$45,006.90
Tax + Medicare
$7,238.54

$52,245.44 gross a year, $2,009.44 a fortnight.

  • 16 h$21,998
  • 20 h$27,498
  • 24 h$32,997
  • 30 h$41,246
  • 38 h$52,245
  • 40 h$54,995

Resident tax for 2026–27 with the tax-free threshold. Medicare uses the 2025–26 single reduction thresholds. No HELP, no salary sacrifice, no Medicare levy surcharge. Super is 12% of ordinary earnings only, capped at the maximum contribution base.

Questions people ask next

How do I convert my hourly rate to an annual salary?

Multiply your hourly base rate by the number of hours you work per week, then by 52 weeks. For a standard full-time role, that's hourly × 38 × 52. For example, a UNSW professional staff member on the 2024 hourly rate of $31.25 would earn about $61,742 annually on a 38-hour week (see ). If you work 35 hours, use 35 instead. This gives your gross annual pay before tax and super.

What is the casual loading for UNSW professional staff?

Under the UNSW Enterprise Agreement (Professional) 2023, casual employees receive a 25% loading on top of the hourly base rate. So if the base rate is $31.25, the casual rate is $31.25 × 1.25 = $39.06 per hour. This loading is paid instead of entitlements like annual leave and sick leave. See for details.

How is superannuation calculated on top of my salary?

Superannuation is paid on top of your gross salary. For UNSW professional staff (non-casual), the employer contributes 17% of ordinary time earnings. For most other employees, the super guarantee is 12% from 1 July 2026, up to a maximum contribution base of $270,830 per year. Super is not deducted from your pay; it's an additional contribution to your super fund.

Keep going