Real Hourly Wage Calculator 💰

Shatter the salary illusion - calculate what you're really being paid per hour

That $80k salary sounds impressive until you calculate the real hourly wage including unpaid overtime, commuting, work prep, and all the hidden costs. This tool reveals the uncomfortable truth about what you're actually earning per hour.

🌟 Features

• 💸 True Hourly Calculation: Accounts for ALL work-related time and costs
• 🚗 Commute Impact: See how travel time destroys your hourly rate
• 👔 Work Prep Time: Includes getting ready, mental prep, decompression
• 💼 Hidden Costs: Work clothes, meals, equipment, training
• 📊 Reality Check: Compare advertised vs. actual hourly wage
• 🔒 100% Private: All calculations happen in your browser

🚀 Quick Start

Installation

npm install @thegreenfieldoverride/real-hourly-wage

React Component

import { RealHourlyWageCalculator } from '@thegreenfieldoverride/real-hourly-wage/react';

function MyApp() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>What Are You Really Earning?</h1>
      <RealHourlyWageCalculator />
    </div>
  );
}

Core Logic Only

import { calculateRealHourlyWage } from '@thegreenfieldoverride/real-hourly-wage/core';

const result = calculateRealHourlyWage({
  annualSalary: 80000,
  hoursPerWeek: 40,
  weeksPerYear: 50,
  overtimeHoursPerWeek: 5,
  commuteTimePerDay: 60, // minutes
  workPrepTimePerDay: 30, // minutes
  workCosts: {
    commuting: 200,     // monthly
    workClothes: 100,   // monthly  
    workMeals: 300,     // monthly
    equipment: 50       // monthly
  }
});

console.log(result.advertised);  // "$40.00/hour"
console.log(result.actual);      // "$18.50/hour" 
console.log(result.difference);  // "53% less than advertised"

🔧 API Reference

calculateRealHourlyWage(params)

Parameters:

• annualSalary (number): Gross annual salary
• hoursPerWeek (number): Contracted hours per week
• weeksPerYear (number): Working weeks per year
• overtimeHoursPerWeek (number): Average unpaid overtime per week
• commuteTimePerDay (number): Daily commute time in minutes
• workPrepTimePerDay (number): Daily prep/decompression time in minutes
• workCosts (object): Monthly work-related expenses
  • commuting (number): Gas, parking, public transport
  • workClothes (number): Professional attire
  • workMeals (number): Lunches, coffee, work snacks
  • equipment (number): Laptop, phone, office supplies

Returns:

• advertised (string): Advertised hourly wage
• actual (string): Real hourly wage after time/costs
• difference (string): Percentage difference with context
• breakdown (object): Detailed calculation breakdown

💡 Real-World Examples

The $100k Developer

const seniorDev = calculateRealHourlyWage({
  annualSalary: 100000,
  hoursPerWeek: 40,
  weeksPerYear: 50,
  overtimeHoursPerWeek: 10,  // Crunch time
  commuteTimePerDay: 90,     // Bay Area commute
  workPrepTimePerDay: 45,    // Coffee, emails, wind-down
  workCosts: {
    commuting: 400,  // Gas + parking
    workClothes: 150,
    workMeals: 500,  // Expensive city
    equipment: 100
  }
});
// Advertised: $50/hour → Actual: $22/hour (56% less!)

The $60k Marketing Manager

const marketingMgr = calculateRealHourlyWage({
  annualSalary: 60000,
  hoursPerWeek: 40,
  weeksPerYear: 48,  // Less vacation
  overtimeHoursPerWeek: 8,   // Event planning
  commuteTimePerDay: 45,
  workPrepTimePerDay: 30,
  workCosts: {
    commuting: 250,
    workClothes: 200,  // Client-facing role
    workMeals: 300,
    equipment: 75
  }
});
// Reality check reveals the true cost of that "good" salary

🎯 Use Cases

• Salary Negotiation: Know your true worth before asking for raises
• Job Comparison: Compare offers based on real hourly value
• Career Planning: See which expenses are killing your wage
• Remote Work Value: Calculate savings from working from home
• Freelance Transition: Set rates based on your current real wage

🔍 What This Tool Reveals

• The Commute Tax: How daily travel destroys earning potential
• Overtime Reality: Why "salary" often means unpaid labor
• Hidden Expenses: The true cost of maintaining employment
• Time Poverty: How work bleeds into your entire life
• Liberation Math: The financial case for remote/freelance work

🤝 Contributing

This tool helps people see through salary illusions. Every improvement helps someone make better career decisions:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test thoroughly (financial clarity is critical)
4. Submit a pull request

📄 License

Licensed under Liberation License v1.0 - ensuring these tools serve human liberation, not corporate exploitation.

"A salary is just a drug they give you to forget your dreams."