PCM Calculator

What Is a PCM Calculator?

UK job listings love quoting salaries as PCM — per calendar month. You see '£3,500 PCM' on a contract role and need to know whether that's competitive compared to the £42,000 permanent role you turned down last week. Or you're freelancing and need to convert an annual target into a monthly figure to set your invoicing.

The maths is straightforward but the context matters. PCM means the gross monthly figure before tax — divide by 12 to get the annual equivalent, or multiply annual by 12 to get PCM. But you also want weekly, daily, and hourly breakdowns to compare against day-rate contracts or part-time roles. This calculator does all of it in one step.

Enter your PCM figure (or annual salary if converting the other way), set your contracted hours per week, and get the full breakdown. The daily rate uses 252 working days per year — the UK standard after removing weekends and bank holidays.

How Do You Use This PCM Calculator?

Enter the monthly PCM amount or annual salary, select the conversion direction, and set your weekly hours. Click Convert to see the full breakdown.

1. Select whether you're converting from PCM to annual or annual to PCM.
2. Enter the salary amount in pounds.
3. Set your weekly working hours (default is 37.5 for a standard UK full-time role).
4. Click Convert Salary to see the full breakdown.
5. Compare the results against other job offers or contract rates.
6. Adjust the hours to see how part-time or overtime affects your hourly rate.

How Does the PCM Calculator Formula Work?

The formula used: Annual = PCM x 12. Weekly = Annual / 52. Daily = Annual / 252. Hourly = Weekly / hours per week.

What Are Some Example Calculations?

A job advertised at £3,000 PCM = £36,000 annual. Weekly = £692.31. Daily (working day) = £142.86. Hourly (37.5 hrs/wk) = £18.46.

When Should You Use a PCM Calculator?

Use this whenever you see a job listing quoting PCM and want to compare it against annual salaries, or when you need to set your monthly invoicing target from an annual goal. It's also useful for comparing contract roles (often quoted as day rates) against permanent roles (quoted annually or monthly) on a like-for-like basis.

What Do These Terms Mean?

What Are the Best Tips to Know?

• PCM is gross (before tax). Use a take-home pay calculator to see your net figure.
• Day rates for contractors are typically based on 252 working days, not 365.
• Compare hourly rates to check if a higher PCM with longer hours actually pays better.
• Remember that permanent roles include benefits (pension, holiday pay) — factor these in when comparing against contract PCM rates.
• If you're self-employed, add 15-20% to your target PCM to cover employer NI, pension, and holiday you'd get in permanent work.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid?

• Dividing annual salary by 10 or 11 instead of 12 — PCM always means divided by 12 calendar months.
• Using 260 or 365 working days instead of 252 when calculating the daily rate.
• Forgetting that PCM is gross — comparing it directly to take-home pay from a permanent role.
• Not adjusting hours per week when comparing full-time and part-time roles.