How to use the working hours per month calculator
- Enter the year and pick the month.
- Enter your hours per working day and choose a work week: Monday to Friday or Monday to Saturday.
- Tick the box to subtract US federal holidays that land on one of your work days (built in for 2021 to 2040), and enter any other days off.
- Read the working days and hours for the month, and the table that shows all twelve months with the year's total.
Formula
Working days = days of the month that fall on your work week - federal holidays on those days - other days off
Working hours = working days x hours per day
Observed holiday = the holiday date, moved to Friday if it falls on a Saturday and to Monday if it falls on a Sunday
A holiday only reduces the count when its observed date falls on a day you work.
October 2026 at 8 hours a day
October 2026 starts on a Thursday and has 22 weekdays, so the month holds 22 x 8 = 176 hours. Columbus Day is observed on Monday, October 12, so with federal holidays subtracted there are 21 working days and 168 hours.
For the whole of 2026 there are 261 weekdays, or 2,088 hours at 8 hours a day. All eleven federal holidays land on weekdays that year (July 4 is a Saturday, so it is observed on Friday, July 3), leaving 250 days and 2,000 hours. On a Monday to Saturday week, October 2026 has 27 working days.
Why months differ
A month has 28 to 31 days, and where the weekends fall changes the count. Months can hold 20, 21, 22 or 23 weekdays, which is why monthly pay for hourly workers varies. February 2026 has 20 weekdays and February 2024, a leap year, has 21.
If you are paid a salary and want a monthly hourly rate, the hourly to salary calculator converts it. For counting days between two dates, use the business days calculator.
Holidays and your own calendar
The federal holidays follow the rules in the US federal holidays calendar, including the weekend rule. Employers often have their own list, which may include other days or leave out some of these, so enter the difference as other days off.
Half days, shift patterns and unpaid breaks are not part of the count. Adjust the hours per day for them, or use the hours calculator for daily totals.
Assumptions and limits
- Counts are for a fixed work week with the same hours every working day.
- Federal holidays follow the observed dates described on this page and are built in for 2021 to 2040 only.
- Other days off are removed one for one and cannot exceed the working days left.
- Company holidays, half days and shift work are not known to the tool.
Frequently asked questions
How many working hours are in a month?
Multiply the working days by the hours in each day. A month with 22 weekdays at 8 hours has 176 working hours.
How many working hours are in a year?
A year has 260, 261 or 262 weekdays, so at 8 hours a day that is 2,080 to 2,096 hours before holidays. The table on this page shows the exact count for the year you enter.
Does the tool subtract holidays?
Only when you tick the box. It then removes the US federal holidays whose observed date falls on one of your work days.
Why does a holiday on a Saturday matter?
Federal rules move a Saturday holiday to the Friday before, so it removes a weekday. A Sunday holiday moves to the Monday after.