70000 A Year Is How Much an Hour? Full Financial Analysis

While working as a salaried employee, we should know our yearly salary. Missing a shift or a few hours here or there is not something we need to fret about. Our paycheck will remain the same as last time, allowing us to budget our money toward our bills and other expenses accordingly. Knowing what each paycheck will bring peace of mind they would not otherwise have for many people.

Budgeting our money is more manageable when we have a fixed yearly salary. With ease, using some basic math, we can determine how much we make per year, month, week, day, or even per hour. We can begin to make better financial decisions when we know this crucial information. 

If you earn a yearly salary of $70,000, you might wonder, 70000 a year is how much an hour? A calculator is the easiest way to figure this out, of course, but I’ve done all the math for you already! So keep reading to see the answer to the hourly, per paycheck, per month, and even per day breakdown of 70k per year.

$70,000 a Year is How Much an Hour?

Let’s get straight to answering the question of 70000 a year is how much an hour? When you make an annual salary of $70,000 a year, you’ll earn a gross hourly wage of $33.65 an hour before paying your taxes. This calculation of wages is assuming you work for 2080 hours a year (40 hours per week times 52 weeks for the year, and you are not eligible for overtime pay). However, your salary is considered ordinary income. Therefore, you’ll have to pay federal income taxes, reducing your take home per hour to be less than $33.65 per hour. 

Many aspects of your life can reduce or increase how much you’ll owe federal income taxes. Here are a few factors:

  • Your state of residence (some have no state income tax!)
  • The number of children and\or other dependents you support
  • Filing status(married, single, or head of household, for example)
  • Age
  • Any Health Insurance Premiums you’ve paid
  • 401ks or other pre-tax retirement account contributions you made

The most significant factor for any taxpayer will be their tax bracket, which, in turn, determines your federal tax rate. Still, any of the above factors, plus many more, will alter your after taxes hourly wage, for better or worse. Throughout this post, I’ll use the 25% tax bracket as an example. 

For 70000 a year is how much an hour, the original gross pay of $33.65 becomes $25.24 per hour after accounting for the 25% you’ll pay in federal taxes. This calculation is relatively basic. It does not take any other factors into account, so it will not be exact, but it should give you an idea of a relative starting point. Below is a chart laying out the post-tax analysis for different timeframes for 70000 a year is how much an hour.

How Much is $70,000 a Year Monthly?

You’ll earn a monthly salary of $5,833.33 when you have a yearly salary of $70,000, again assuming you are a full-time employee. Deducting 25% for federal income taxes, $4,375.00 will be your remaining take-home monthly salary. 

How Much is $70,000 a Year Per Paycheck (Biweekly)?

The most common payment period for salaried employees is a bi-weekly paycheck(26 paychecks per year). For this reason, the biweekly paycheck (every two weeks) is the timeframe I’ll use to determine how much you’ll earn per paycheck when making a 70k per year salary.

Still using the assumption that you are a full-time employee and earning a salary of $70,000 a year, you’ll earn $2692.31 per paycheck\pay period. Taking 25% for taxes brings us to $2019.23 as your take-home wages. But, again, this is a simple calculation only. $2019.23 represents what an average worker can expect to bring home; the factors listed above and others will change your actual take-home pay.

How Much is $70,000 a Year Weekly?

We can go further down the rabbit hole with 70000 a year is how much an hour to determine a weekly pay amount. Having an annual salary of $70,000, your pre-tax income would be $1,346.15. Calculating a 25% deduction for federal taxes leaves us with a weekly take-home pay of about $1,009.62 a week.

How Much is 70,000 Dollars a Year Daily?

You’ll make $269.23 for each workday (about 260 total days) when earning $70,000 a year. So your post-tax take-home pay will come out to about $201.92 every day. 

Post Tax Breakdown of a $70,000 a Year Salary

We’ve thrown a lot of math and numbers out there so far; below is a recap of the different amounts you could earn with a yearly salary of $70,000 per year. It contains the analysis of a gross annual income of $70,000 a year for multiple timeframes. The figures below also assume the 25% federal income tax rate. The chart is a simple guide of what an average worker can expect to get paid as an hourly salary, daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, and yearly wage.

$70,000 a Year Pretax Income Post-Tax Income
Yearly (52 Weeks)  $70,000.00$52,500
Monthly (160 Hours) $5,833.33$4,375.00
Biweekly (80 Hours) $2692.31$2,019.23
Weekly (40 Hour workweek)$1,346.15$1,009.62
Daily (8 Hours) $269.23$201.92
Hourly (1 Hour) $33.65$25.24

As you can see, the amount of money in your take-home paycheck is significantly impacted by your federal income tax rate.

$70,000 a Year is How Much an Hour After Taxes?

You’ll pay roughly $17,500 in federal taxes a year while earning a salary of 70000 per year, assuming you’re in the 25% bracket. You’ll have an annual take-home pay of about $52,500 after subtracting the $17,500 in taxes from your yearly salary. An 8-hour workday, 40 hour work week, and 2080 work year were used for this calculation.

Your tax situation will be different from anyone else’s, ever so slightly. Your final take-home will be different from someone else making 70k per year, but you can use $52,500 in take-home pay as a guide. Contributing to a 401k retirement plan (or others like it), an HSA, and other tax-deferred accounts are an excellent way to lower your tax burden if you are looking for ways to reduce your tax bill.

How to Make 70,000 Dollars a Year?

Most of us did not or will not acquire a yearly starting salary of 70k a year from our first jobs. Still, after a few years of experience in the workforce, it is certainly an achievable goal. Having a college education is a good starting point when looking to earn a yearly salary of 70k or more. However, it’s not the only way. There are many ways you can obtain an occupation with 70k or higher pay. 

These days, it seems everyone has a side hustle going. Our 9-5’s are still our primary source of income, but more often than not, they are not our only source. Part-time jobs and part-time weekend jobs are more traditional ways to boost your yearly income and are still very popular. More than likely, you won’t earn over 70k with a side hustle or part-time job alone but combined with your primary job, you can surpass 70k per year quite easily. 

Is $70,000 a Year a Good Salary?

 “Is 70,000 a year a good salary?” might be your next question after learning how it breaks down. There is more to a good salary than the amount of your yearly pay. Many other factors need to be considered.

An annual salary of $70,000 per year is sufficient in many cases. However, many times that $70,000 a year won’t be enough or difficult to live on. A few factors that change how good a 70k salary might be are below:

  • State of residence
  • If you owe a debt and how much
  • Kids or other dependents you support
  • Being married or single (and if your spouse works or not)
  • Additional necessary costs you pay for

For someone living in a low-cost of living area like Indiana, a 70,000 yearly salary can be good. But, on the flip side, while residing in an area with a higher cost of living, like New York City, a salary of 70,000 won’t get you as far.  

In either scenario, you might be supporting several children and\or a spouse and be adding in debt and other expenses. In that case, 70,000 might not be enough to make ends meet no matter where you live. 

How to Live off of 70k a Year

Once we know the answer to 70000 a year is how much an hour, day, week, month, and year, we can begin to create a better budget for our money. So here are some ways to best live within your means, no matter your salary.

Budgeting

If you want to be financially successful, budgeting is crucial, no matter your yearly salary. Knowing how much you earn in income and how much of that you pay in expenses, you’ll be able to fully get a hold of your money better. In addition, by having a budget, we’ll have the most precise picture of everything that happens in our lives financially, making it 100% a top priority. 

Move to an Area with Lower Cost of Living

If you are looking for an easy way to save hundreds of dollars a month, living in an area with a lower cost of living is something you need to consider. The difference between struggling to make ends meet and living a comfortable lifestyle could simply be changing where you live. 

If you fall into the struggling to make ends meet category, look for an area nearby that you could live in that is less costly. If there isn’t one nearby, you might need to consider a more significant move. On the plus side, many companies will allow employees to keep their current salary even if they move to a lower cost of living area. 

Having groceries, gas, rent, and other necessities cost less can make a significant difference when earning a 70k per year salary. 

Erase Your Debt

Paying interest on any loan or debt is a waste of money. Having to pay interest is always a hindrance to creating wealth. Don’t despair. There are many ways to tackle any debt you might have. Research a few debt-paying strategies to find the one that works best for you. 

Emergency Funds

Another financial staple to consider is having an emergency fund. Once you have them set up, they can act as a financial safety net. Unexpected expenses can pop up at any time, hence, being unexpected. It also seems they like to travel in packs, having a few happen simultaneously. 

Be ready by putting four to six months of expenses in a high-yield savings account. This will allow you to be prepared for any unexpected expense that might come your way. 

The other reason to have an emergency fund is in case you lose part or all of your primary income source and you need time to get back on your feet. 

Get Your Side Hustle On

Apps such as InstaCart, DoorDash, GrubHub, and tons of others provide anyone with a car with a great way to get their side hustle on. It seems like everyone is doing at least one these days. The main advantage to these and other side hustles, like online surveys, is working when it’s convenient for you. This is a luxury that was not available in the past. So, take full advantage of all options available to you if possible.

Boost Your Salary

As a salaried employee, getting extra money from your primary job can be challenging. Our yearly salary isn’t always enough to pay for all our expenses, and salaried employees don’t typically earn extra income for overtime hours worked like hourly workers. Hourly workers can make a lot of additional pay when filling their timesheets with paid overtime hours. Overtime rates can be as much time-and-a-half or even double-time. As a result, salaried employees don’t have as many options when we need more money from our 9-5.

Getting a raise each year is expected for salaried employees. However, it’s no guarantee. When in need of a pay raise, your most straightforward option is to ask your employer directly. Before going to the appropriate person and asking for a raise, make sure you are ready to explain why you think you are deserving of more money. 

When you have reasoning on your side, it will help your goal for a higher hourly pay rate instead of simply saying you want one. However, your employer may disagree with your reasoning for a higher hourly pay rate even with your logic. If that’s the case, it might be time to look for a new job or occupation to pay you a higher salary. 

How to Budget If You Make $70,000 a Year

As mentioned above, it is crucial to budget your money when looking to get a hold of your finances. This is still true if you make $70,000 or a million dollars a year. Spending more than you make is a guaranteed way to go broke eventually. 

The 50-30-20 rule is a general budgeting rule many people use for their money. Using the 50-30-20 rule is a simple method to budget your money and lower your financial stress.

Here’s the rule and how it works:

  • Fifty percent of your income will pay for necessities
  • Thirty percent of your income will pay for any wants you may have
  • Twenty percent of your income will pay for saving\paying off debt\both.

With a salary of 70k per year, here’s how the rule could look:

  • $26,250 per year (or $2187.50 a month) is for your needs.
  • Rent/ Mortgage + Utilities= $992
  • Car Insurance= $160
  • Health Insurance= $160
  • Gas= $50
  • Groceries= $200
  • $15,750 per year (or $1312.50 a month) is for your wants.
  • Cellphone= $110
  • Internet= $100
  • Personal & Misc= $180
  • Entertainment= $100
  • $10,500 per year (or $875.00 a month) is for saving and paying off debt.
  • Savings = $400
  • Debt Pay Off = $260

70000 A Year is How Much an Hour – Final Thoughts

An essential step with finances can simply be knowing our yearly salary breaks down to per month, paycheck, week, day, or even hour. Hopefully, by reading this post, you can better understand the question “70000 a year is how much an hour” and the best ways to handle your money. 

Federal income taxes play a significant role in our take-home pay, but many other factors will change the amount of money we have at the end of the day. When determining if $70,000 per year is good enough for you, the cost of living in your area, dependents, and debt are just a few things to consider. 

Once you have all the information available, take the time to make a budget. The 50-30-20 rule above is an example; many other budgeting rules and strategies exist. Find the one that works best for you.

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