FTE comparison

Equivalent Salary Calculator UK

Equivalent salary calculators are most useful when the gross salary is technically the same role but not the same working pattern. If one job is full-time, another is compressed hours and another is term-time or part-time, you need a full-time-equivalent view before judging the pay.

This page converts salary across weekly hours and working weeks so you can compare offers and role changes on a fair basis.

2025/26 ratesUpdated 2026-03-06Calculator-first guide

Convert salary to an equivalent workload

Enter the current salary and work pattern, then the target hours and weeks you want to compare against.

Equivalent salary

Current hourly value
Target hourly value
Full-time equivalent
Change vs current

How this calculator works

The logic is simple but important: it converts the current salary into an hourly value based on weekly hours and working weeks, then rebuilds that value using the target workload. That gives you a like-for-like salary comparison even when the roles are not the same pattern.

This is especially useful in part-time, term-time, four-day-week or compressed-hours conversations where the advertised salary does not tell the whole story.

Worked example

A £32,000 job at 30 hours a week across 46 weeks is not equivalent to a £32,000 role at 37.5 hours across 52 weeks. Once you convert the salary into a consistent hourly workload, the real equivalent becomes much clearer.

That matters for internal role changes, flexible working requests and negotiations where an employer says a salary is “the same” while the workload assumption has changed.

2025/26 rates, thresholds, and inputs

Because this is a workload-equivalence tool rather than a tax tool, it deliberately stays focused on time and gross pay.

InputWhat it represents
Current salaryYour existing gross annual pay
Current weekly hoursContracted hours per week
Current weeksWeeks actually worked or paid
Target hoursThe workload you want to compare against
Target weeksThe target annual working pattern

Edge cases and assumptions

Equivalent salary is often the best way to protect yourself in flexible-working negotiations.

FAQs

What is an equivalent salary?

It is the salary that would represent the same hourly earning value under a different workload, such as moving from part-time to full-time.

Is this the same as full-time equivalent salary?

Usually yes. Full-time equivalent, or FTE, is one of the most common uses of an equivalent salary calculation.

Can I use this for compressed hours?

Yes, as long as the total weekly hours and weeks are accurate.

Sources and methodology

This page uses a straightforward workload-equivalence model rather than tax rules. The goal is comparability across hours and weeks worked.

If you need a net-pay view after working out the equivalent gross salary, use the site’s salary or pay-check calculator next.

Methodology: gross salary divided by total annual hours to derive an hourly value, then rebuilt across the target working pattern.
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Reviewed by Mustafa Bilgic

Mustafa reviews compensation and working-pattern calculators with a focus on negotiation clarity and avoiding misleading part-time versus full-time comparisons.

Last updated 2026-03-06. Use the result as a planning tool and compare it with official sources, contracts, payslips or payroll software before making decisions.