£42 an hour is how much a year?
£42 an hour is £81,900 a year for a 37.5 hour week, before tax: £6,825 a month or £1,575 a week.
Pay before tax over 52 weeks. Take-home pay uses HMRC's 2026 to 2027 rates for England, Wales and Northern Ireland, checked 13 November 2026.
Result
£42.00 an hour for 37.5 hours a week is £81,900.00 a year.
a year, before tax
| A year | £81,900.00 |
|---|---|
| A month | £6,825.00 |
| A week | £1,575.00 |
| A day | £315.00 |
| An hour | £42.00 |
That is at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour for people aged 21 and over. Check the rate for your age.
Show the workings
| Step | Sum | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Pay for a year | £42.00 a hour × 37.5 hours a week × 52 weeks | £81,900.00 |
| A month | £81,900.00 ÷ 12 | £6,825.00 |
| A week | £81,900.00 ÷ 52 weeks | £1,575.00 |
| A day | £1,575.00 ÷ 5 days | £315.00 |
What this leaves out or assumes
- A year is 52 weeks, the usual way to convert pay. A month is a twelfth of a year.
- These are amounts before tax and National Insurance.
Where the figures come from
- Minimum hourly wage, aged 21 and over (National Living Wage): £12.71 an hour. Source: GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates. Checked 13 November 2026.
£42 an hour for different hours
| Hours a week | A year | A month | A week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | £34,944 | £2,912 | £672 |
| 20 | £43,680 | £3,640 | £840 |
| 30 | £65,520 | £5,460 | £1,260 |
| 35 | £76,440 | £6,370 | £1,470 |
| 37.5 | £81,900 | £6,825 | £1,575 |
| 40 | £87,360 | £7,280 | £1,680 |
After tax
On £81,900 a year, with tax code 1257L and no student loan or pension, you take home £58,063 a year, or £4,838.58 a month, after £20,188.40 Income Tax and £3,648.60 National Insurance. That is £29.78 an hour after tax. £82,000 after tax breaks it down further, and the take-home pay calculator works out your own.
Against the minimum wage
From 1 April 2026 the National Living Wage for people aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. £42 is at or above it. The rates for younger workers and apprentices are on the minimum wage calculator.