$21 an hour is how much a year? Is it a living wage? This article will share some tips and tricks on making it work with $21 an hour.
Making a living is an essential part of our lives. We need to earn money to live and support our day-to-day needs.
But do you know how much you truly make? Is your paycheck during your workweek sufficient to meet your needs, or do you need to ask for a raise?
Being a salaried employee helps you have a steady source of income. But how would you know if your salary range is enough based on all the hours worked?
You need to know your hourly rates, and from there, we can determine if your cash wage is really enough.
Are you one of those earning $21 an hour? Is $21 sound and deliverable? Is this type of hourly wage enough? Let’s find out more in this article as we learn how much we can make yearly, monthly, weekly, and per day.
How Much is $21 an Hour Yearly?
So we tried to run a simple calculation to figure out how much $21 an hour will make you in a year. Let us assume that you work 40 hours a week on average, depending on your working day.
If you work part-time, let’s assume that you work only 20 hours a week for $21 per hour. Using this average, we can calculate what you will earn in a year.
If you assume that you will work for 52 weeks in a year, you multiply 40 hours with 52 weeks, which gives you a total of 2,080 hours of work. Multiply this with your hourly salary of $21, which will provide you with $43,680.
Thus, the gross annual salary you can earn with $21 an hour is $43,680. This number is before income taxes, insurance, etc. Post all that, what you take home will be deposited in your account with a bank.
If you work part-time, multiply 20 hours with 52 weeks, giving you 1,040 working hours. Your yearly salary then becomes $21 multiplied by 1,040 hours which gives you $21,840 per year.
How Much is $21 an Hour Monthly?
When making $21 an hour, your monthly salary will be around $3,640. That is fairly easy to calculate. We know the annual amount you earn is $43,680. There are 12 months a year, so your annual salary is divided by 12. You get $3,640 per month.
However, some months have more days like January or fewer days like February. Thus, it can fluctuate a bit. In some months, you may earn more than in others.
It also depends on when and how frequently you get paid. For instance, during holidays, you might get paid more as a bonus or increase your work hours or the other way around.
Your holiday pay can be more since it’s the time of giving anyways, right?
If you work part-time, based on the average of 20 hours a week, you will earn $1,840 per month.
How Much is $21 an Hour Per Week?
Okay, so you would now want to know how much you would be making for your weekly salary. Every week that you get up and go to work, how much will you end up with during your weekends?
Again, let us assume that you work an average of 40 hours a week. Multiplying this with $21, we get $840 per week. And if you work part-time, you will get $420 for 20 hours in a week.
However, note that this number can differ if your work hours vary. For instance, there may be weeks you put in extra time. Also, some days you may get bonus payments or skip work because you are not feeling well.
How much you save from this and how much you spend is dependent on how you plan your budget every week.
How Much is $21 an Hour Bi-Weekly?
If you earn an average of $840 per week, your bi-weekly wage will be double this number, or $1,680. However, if you work part-time, this number doubles to $420, which is $840 bi-weekly.
Again, this can change depending on your working hours, whether you’re working extra hours or taking time off that week. You can also earn more through overtime as your overtime pay can increase your paychecks from time to time.
How Much is $21 an Hour Per Day?
This number will depend on the total number of hours you work in a day. It can fluctuate depending on you or your employer. Some days you may work 10 hours while on others you may work only for 5 hours.
If we assume that, on average, you work for 8 hours per day, you will earn eight multiplied by $21, that is $168 per day. However, if you work 10 hours a day, you will make $210 every day.
For part-time, this amount becomes $84 for working 4 hours in a day. Your rates of pay may be consistent, but your weekly salary can increase based on your actual time worked.
Remember that you are in a pay-by-the-hour setup, so your gross pay equals your fixed-wage multiplied by the total hours worked each week.
$21 year Hour Jobs
There are several jobs that you can get that will pay you $21 every hour. All you need to do is find one that suits you. Make sure you have a decent summary and up your interview game, and you are good to go!
A few job ideas which you can try include:
[Related Read: 25 Companies With the Best Benefits]
Is $21 an Hour Good?
Many people ask whether $21 an hour is a good wage or not. Well, this wage is almost double the minimum wage in most states. Thus, it is certainly not a bad salary.
It will not be that difficult to live on $21 an hour. But, it can be a little challenging to manage as the $43,680 annually is way under the median income of $60,000 a year.
Do not worry. We have some tips and tricks in the next section to help you outlive $21 an hour.
Earning $21 an hour can be good if you know how to manage your money. You will have to be a smart consumer and spender. A shift in your money mindset will help you live easily with $21 per hour.
How To Live on $21 Per Hour?
Changing your goals and plans in a way that aligns with your budget will be helpful. You will have to break your spending cycle and fix a budget plan that helps you live smoothly.
If you live in areas with a very high cost of living, you might have to be a little smarter and more creative. For instance, get a roommate to bunk with you to cut down on your living expenses.
You may also have to cut down on a couple of luxurious items or skip high-end restaurants and expensive drinks, but there are always cheaper alternatives. You do not have to reduce your standard of fun to fit your standard of living.
Tips and Tricks to Live on $21 Per Hour
We have curated a list of easy tips and tricks to help you save your money and live a good life with $21 an hour as your wage. Here are a few tips you can try:
Spending Less
Learn to spend less than what you are earning. It will ensure that you do not get caught in a debt cycle, leading to a debt trap later. Don’t spend everything that you make.
Always keep money aside for emergenciesrainy days, or in general to save up for future investments.
living stingy may not be a bad idea because you must spend on essential things. And by this, you can save more of your overall money.
[Related Read: Frugal vs. Cheap – Where You At?]
Find Contentment In Your Standard Of Living
It would be best to learn to find contentment in your annual wage and what you can afford within that salary level. Remember that your salary makes you entitled to certain amenities in life, but you should always live within your means.
We are always trying to buy more things like new cars, new dresses, new things for the house. And you will always be wanting more. However, remember that it is important to find meaning in non-materialistic things too!
Take a pause, and rethink your buying decisions next time. Do you actually need the new product, or is it just a desire you can overcome?
Enjoy Your Savings Process
Saving money can be a tedious process, so why not make it fun and exciting? Try to keep your expenses low while having fun. For instance, keep a no spending month challenge in your house every once in a while. It really helps with resetting your spending and spending money only on things you find important.
Try to keep a No Take Outs Week, No Shopping Month, or 52-week money savings challenge to keep your expenses low. You can also encourage your family members to join in to help save money.
Also, try finding free activities which are super fun and cost you nothing!
Pick Up A Side Hustle
If you want to increase your spending, then figure out ways to earn more money than what you do. If you want to enjoy a better quality of life, you will have to find ways to earn more money.
Try picking a side hustleshift your jobs, build up high-income skillstry working hours, or ask your employer for a raise.
You may try the following suggestions to earn some extra bucks:
Start Earning Money On FlexJobs
Plan A Viable Budget
The easiest way to live with $21 per hour is to learn how to make a sensible budget and actually follow it. If you have a proper budget planned out, you will not spend a dime more than what you have decided.
That leaves you with more money to save, invest or spend on other luxurious goods you might want. Just like having a meal plan for a weekthis will save you time and effort and cut down your grocery expenses.
To Sum Up, $21 An Hour Is How Much A Year?
When you earn $21 an hour, you earn a gross income of $43,680 annually based on 40 hours per week. If you were to work 20 hours a week, you would earn a gross income of $21,840 per year.
As you can see, $21 hourly wages are not that bad. This kind of pay rate can be considered fair. Don’t get overwhelmed if your hourly rate of pay is in this range.
Despite all the standard deductions based on the tax rate, your take-home pay can be sufficient for you to make ends meet. And if you follow your budget strictly? You can afford other luxuries that you really want in your life.
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Marjolein is a financial consultant who has built over €4,000 monthly passive income and saves over 70% of her income. Read Radicals’ inspiring story, from stuck in the 9-to-5 to loving life. Feel free to send Radical a message at the bottom of this page