Work hours come up in job offers, benefits paperwork and budgets, and the right number depends on who is counting. These four guides cover the hour questions people ask most. Use the table to find the one that fits your situation.
Which work hours guide answers your question?
| If you want to know | Read | Most useful for |
|---|---|---|
| Whether 30, 35 or 40 hours counts as full time | How many hours is full time | Checking benefits eligibility or comparing job offers |
| Where part time ends and what part-time workers get | How many hours is part time | Students, parents, second jobs and teen workers |
| How many hours and workdays are in 2026 | How many work hours are in a year | Converting salary to hourly pay, planning PTO and payroll budgets |
| What 1st, 2nd and 3rd shift hours mean | Shift hours explained | Reading a job posting for evening, overnight or rotating work |
Is there a legal definition of full time and part time?
Not a single one. Federal wage law leaves the definition to employers, so your company may draw the line at 32, 35 or 40 hours. Two federal yardsticks still matter. For employer health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, full time means an average of at least 30 hours a week or 130 hours a month. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 35 or more hours a week as full time.
The full-time hours guide compares each definition and the benefits that usually follow. The part-time hours guide adds overtime rules, part-time benefits and the federal hour limits for 14- and 15-year-olds.
How many hours do you work in a year?
A standard full-time year is 2,080 hours: 40 hours a week for 52 weeks. Take out the 11 federal holidays and 2026 has 250 working days and 2,000 work hours. The work hours in a year calculator lets you change the year, the hours per day and the holiday setting.
Shift work changes the picture. Second shift usually runs from mid-afternoon to around midnight, and federal law does not require extra pay for night work, though some employers pay a shift differential. Read 2nd shift hours and pay before you accept an evening or overnight schedule.
To turn your hours into pay, the hourly to salary converter shows yearly, monthly and biweekly amounts for any wage.