Prorated Salary Calculator – Partial Month or Year Pay

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What prorated salary means

A salary is set for a full period, a month or a year. When you work only part of that period, because you start or leave mid-month, take unpaid leave or change from part-time to full-time, your employer pays a prorated share:

Prorated salary = full salary × days worked ÷ days in the period

Example: a $72,000 salary is $6,000 a month. Start on Monday, November 16, 2026 and you work 11 of the 21 working days in November, so your November pay is $6,000 × 11 ÷ 21 = $3,142.86.

Working-day vs calendar-day method

Employers use one of three methods, set by company policy:

• Working days: counts Monday to Friday only. Most common in the US. The daily rate changes each month, because months have 20 to 23 working days.
• Calendar days: counts every day, weekends included. Simple, and the daily rate depends only on the month's length.
• Hours: pays an hourly rate of annual salary ÷ 2,080 hours ($34.62 on $72,000) for the hours you work. Common when payroll runs on hours.

The method matters most when you start or leave near a weekend. Starting Monday, November 2, 2026, you work all 21 working days, so the working-day method pays the full $6,000, but the calendar-day method pays 29 of 30 days, $5,800.

For a partial year, the same methods apply over the year: 2026 has 261 working days and 365 calendar days. Holidays: salaried employees are normally paid for holidays that fall during their employment, so they count as working days. Choose "Not paid" if your employer doesn't pay them.

Your first and last paycheck

• First paycheck: often smaller because it covers only part of a pay period, and new hires sometimes start after the cutoff for a payroll run, so the first check may come a pay period later and cover more days.
• Last paycheck: covers the days you worked in the final period, plus any unused vacation your state or employer requires to be paid out. Leaving on Friday, December 11, 2026, on a $6,000 monthly salary pays 9 of 23 working days, $2,347.83.
• Deadlines: there is no federal deadline for a final paycheck, but many states set one. California, for example, requires immediate payment when you're fired and within 72 hours if you quit without notice.

Both checks have the usual taxes and deductions taken out; enter a rough percentage to estimate your take-home pay.

Examples

$72,000 salary ($6,000 a month), starting in November 2026 (21 working days, 30 calendar days):

Working days in 2026 by month: 22 in January, 20 in February, 22 in March and April, 21 in May, 22 in June, 23 in July, 21 in August, 22 in September and October, 21 in November and 23 in December. Results are estimates; your employer's policy decides the method. Last reviewed: November 1, 2026.