Pay & Tax

Pro Rata Salary Calculator

Part-time and part-year salary from a full-time equivalent.

What it does. Pro rata means "in proportion". A salary advertised at £40,000 pro rata for a three-day week pays £24,000 — the full-time figure scaled by the fraction of full-time hours worked. The figure in the advert is almost always the full-time equivalent, not what you will receive.

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How to use Pro Rata Salary Calculator

Enter the full-time salary and full-time hours.
Enter your actual hours, or your start date for part-year.
Read the actual pay and the pro rata holiday entitlement.

The advertised figure is the full-time one

This causes real confusion in job adverts. "£40,000 pro rata" for a part-time role does not mean you will be paid £40,000.

It means the role pays £40,000 at full-time hours, and your pay is that figure scaled to the hours you work. At 0.6 FTE it is £24,000.

If an advert states a pro rata figure without stating full-time hours, that is the question to ask before anything else — the same headline number means different pay depending on whether full time is 35, 37.5 or 40 hours.

Holiday is pro rata too, and it has a floor

Part-time workers get the same proportion of leave, not the same number of days. Someone working three days a week gets three-fifths of the full-time entitlement.

In the UK the statutory minimum is 5.6 weeks, which for a three-day week is 16.8 days rather than the 28 a full-timer receives.

Expressing part-time leave in weeks rather than days avoids most of the arguments about this, because weeks scale cleanly and days invite rounding disputes.

Part-year is a different calculation

Starting partway through the year scales pay by the fraction of the year worked, not by hours.

Starting on 1 October on a £40,000 salary earns roughly £10,000 in that calendar year, while remaining a £40,000 salary.

The two can combine — a part-time role started mid-year is scaled twice — and that is where payroll errors cluster. Check the first payslip against the arithmetic rather than assuming.

Frequently asked questions

What does pro rata mean in a job advert?

That the stated salary is the full-time equivalent. Your actual pay is that figure scaled to the hours you work — £40,000 pro rata at three days a week is £24,000.

How do I calculate pro rata pay?

Divide your hours by full-time hours and multiply by the full-time salary. 22.5 hours against a 37.5-hour week is 0.6, so 0.6 × the full-time figure.

Do part-time workers get less holiday?

Proportionally fewer days, not less entitlement. The UK statutory 5.6 weeks applies to everyone — for a three-day week that is 16.8 days rather than 28.

What if I start partway through the year?

Pay is scaled by the fraction of the year worked. Starting on 1 October on a £40,000 salary earns about £10,000 that calendar year while still being a £40,000 salary.

What should I ask about a pro rata advert?

What full-time hours are, before anything else. The same headline figure means different pay depending on whether full time is 35, 37.5 or 40 hours.