About
Last updated: April 20, 2026
This is a single-purpose calculator that asks a simple question: when you subtract everything your job actually costs you, and divide by every hour it actually takes, what's your real hourly wage?
The answer is almost always smaller than the number on your offer letter. Sometimes a lot smaller.
The concept comes from the 1992 book Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. The math has been around for thirty years. The internet has been surprisingly bad at putting it into a tool that loads fast, doesn't ask for your email, and lets you type in what you're about to buy to see what it actually costs you in time.
That's what this is. The full math is on the methodology page if you want to see exactly how the numbers are produced.
No, seriously, no signup
Every calculation runs in your browser. We don't store your numbers, send them anywhere, or try to upsell you on a subscription. The full data-handling story is in the privacy policy if you want the boring version.
Contact
Corrections, complaints, or calculator ideas go through the contact form . No email address on this site, because spam bots.
Related
- Run the calculator — back to AfterWage to find your real hourly wage.
- Methodology — the full math, the sources, and what's deliberately left out.
- Contact — ideas, corrections, or feedback.