Working Hours in 2026

2026 Working Hours per Month

In the following table, you will find the number of working hours for each month of the year (from January to December 2026). The table includes detailed explanation on the deductions for example weekends or public holidays. The table can help when you need to handle the monthly payroll for your workforce or plan work correctly. The table is generated for the US audience.

How many working hours in a year?

Solution 1. Based on the monthly working hours
This solution is more precise as it makes distinctions between leap and common years.

a. Calculate the number of working hours per year based on the work schedule and the monthly working days.

If you work 5 days per week (Monday through Friday), 8 hours per day, calculate the number of working days.

365 calendar days ( 2026 is a common year) - 104 weekends = 261 working days.

261 working days x 8 hours = 2088 hours in a year.

b. Deduct public holidays

Depending on your state, your organization will offer employees more or fewer public holidays.

In the US, there are 11 business holidays per year.

2088 - 88 = 2000.

c. Deduct PTO hours

Reflect on the number of PTO hours you are receiving in one year. In the US, Paid Time Off is usually 80 hours. However, that might differ based on loyalty, contract start date, company policies, etc.

2000-80 = 1920

Result: 1920 working hours in a year.

Solution 2: Based on the weekly hours worked

a. Establish the number of weekly working hours

The default contractual amount for full-time salaried employees is 40 hours per week. However, part-time employees might have 35 hours or fewer. For this example, we will use the standard 40-hour work week.

b. Multiply by 52 to get the estimated annual amount

Once you have the weekly number, multiply by 52 weeks to get a rough estimate of the yearly amount.

52 x 40 = 2080.

Attention: Considering the OPM standard, over a 28-year cycle, there are 4 years with 2,096 hours, 17 years with 2088 hours, and 7 years with 2,080 hours, resulting in an average of 2,087 hours per year.

It's a frequent misconception that there are 2,080 work hours in a year (40 hours multiplied by 52 work weeks). However, there aren't exactly 52 weeks (52 x 7 = 364 days) each year.

c. Deduct PTO hours

Reflect on the number of PTO hours you are receiving in one year. In the US, Paid Time Off is usually 80 days. However, that might differ based on loyalty, contract start date, company policies, etc.

2080-80 = 2000.

d. Deduct public holidays

Depending on your state, your organization will offer employees more or less public holidays. In the US, there are 11 public holidays per year.

2000 - 88 = 1912.

FAQ Working Hours

Since there are 2088 working hours in 2026, we remove 11 days of Holidays (11 days x 8h) and 10 days of Paid Time Off (10 days x 8h), then we're discussing about approximately 1920 hours (2088 - 88 - 80).

A month comprises 20 to 22 working days (or roughly four work weeks). Assuming an employee works full-time (8 hours per day), this equates to 160 to 176 hours per month.

Another way of calculating the result is: 40 hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks per year and divided by 12 months per year equals 173.33 average monthly hours.

A man-year is a unit of measurement representing an individual's total work done over the course of a year. Man-years are measured in hours. A basic calculation of the number of man-hours per year is 2,080 hours, excluding vacations.

Use a timesheet or a clock-in software to track your daily hours and have a summary at the end of the week.

Several factors can influence work hours, including the work environment, work schedules, work contracts, work performance improvement, and the type of work being done. These factors are important because they can affect an individual's work-life balance, productivity, and job satisfaction.

Within common years (like 2026, 2026, 2027), there are (365 days) x (24 hours/day) = 8760 hours. In every leap year, there are 8784 hours. Explanation: (366 days) x (24 hours/day) = 8784 hours. The next leap years are 2028 and 2032.

Every week has 168 hours. Explanation: 1 week = 7 days/week = (7 days/week) x (24 hours/day) = 168 hours/week.