Compare hourly and monthly salary for work in Sweden
Hourly and monthly pay are only comparable when they represent the same working time. Dividing by a fixed 160, 168, or 174 hours can be misleading if your contract uses another weekly schedule.
Why 173.33 hours appears
For a 40-hour week, average monthly hours are:
40 × 52 ÷ 12 = 173.33 hours
This is an annual average. Individual months contain different numbers of weekdays, while a fixed monthly salary normally remains the same. The annual method provides a consistent comparison.
Full-time is not always exactly 40 hours
Swedish working-time law allows normal work up to 40 hours per week. Collective agreements can specify shorter full-time hours, especially for shifts, and part-time contracts use fewer hours.
Enter your agreed normal weekly hours. Exclude overtime and normally exclude unpaid meal breaks. Your employment contract, collective agreement, or schedule should state the relevant measure.
Monthly to hourly
A monthly gross salary of SEK 40,000 at 40 hours per week corresponds to approximately SEK 230.77 per hour. With the same salary at 37.5 hours, the comparable hourly value is higher because the salary covers fewer hours.
This does not determine overtime pay. Overtime and additional-hours compensation follow the applicable agreement.
Hourly to monthly
SEK 200 per hour at 40 hours per week corresponds to an average monthly gross salary of about SEK 34,667. Actual pay for an hourly worker can vary with scheduled hours, absence, holidays, and the length of the pay period.
Use the result for comparison and budgeting, not as a guaranteed payslip amount.
The separate 12% vacation-pay estimate
The Swedish percentage rule sets vacation pay at 12% of qualifying pay in applicable situations, including when pay is not fixed weekly or monthly. Absence, pay structure, and collective agreements can affect the method.
The calculator therefore shows 12% as a separate annual estimate. Check whether a quoted hourly rate already includes vacation pay before adding anything, or you may count it twice.
Compare the remaining terms separately
- shift and unsocial-hours premiums
- overtime and additional hours
- commission and bonuses
- unpaid breaks and absence
- tax, pension, and benefits
Start by comparing base pay for equal working hours, then assess each employment condition. That gives a more honest picture than one headline number.