An FTE to Hours Calculator is a business and project management tool that converts a Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) value back into a total number of work hours for a specific period. FTE is a standardized unit that represents one full-time employee. This calculator performs the reverse operation of an FTE calculator: it takes a given FTE value (like 2.5 FTEs) and, based on a standard work schedule (e.g., a 40-hour week or a 2,080-hour year), it calculates the total labor hours that this FTE value represents. This is crucial for project managers who need to translate a project's allocated FTE budget into the actual man-hours available, and for HR departments planning departmental workloads and staffing levels.
formula of Fte To Hours Calculator
The formula to convert an FTE value into total work hours is a simple multiplication.
1. Primary Formula
This is the core formula for the conversion. It scales the FTE value by the number of hours in a standard full-time schedule.
Formula:
Total Work Hours = FTE Value * Standard Full-Time Hours for the Period
- FTE Value: The Full-Time Equivalent number you are converting (e.g., 1.0, 0.5, 12.75).
- Standard Full-Time Hours for the Period: The number of hours considered a full-time workload for a specific timeframe.
2. Calculations by Common Time Periods
The practical formulas are based on standard definitions of a full-time work schedule.
Calculating Annual Hours from FTE
This formula converts an FTE value into the total number of work hours over a full year.
Standard Assumption: A full-time employee works 2,080 hours per year (based on 40 hours/week * 52 weeks).
Formula:
Total Annual Hours = FTE Value * 2080
Calculating Weekly Hours from FTE
This formula converts an FTE value into the total number of work hours for a single week.
Standard Assumption: A full-time workweek is 40 hours.
Formula:
Total Weekly Hours = FTE Value * 40
Calculating Daily Hours from FTE
This formula converts an FTE value into the equivalent number of work hours for a single day.
Standard Assumption: A full-time workday is 8 hours.
Formula:
Total Daily Hours = FTE Value * 8
FTE to Annual Work Hours Conversion Table
This table provides a quick reference for the total annual work hours corresponding to common FTE values, based on the standard 2,080-hour work year.
| FTE Value | Calculation (FTE * 2080) | Total Annual Hours |
| 0.25 | 0.25 * 2080 | 520 hours |
| 0.50 | 0.50 * 2080 | 1,040 hours |
| 0.75 | 0.75 * 2080 | 1,560 hours |
| 1.00 | 1.00 * 2080 | 2,080 hours |
| 1.50 | 1.50 * 2080 | 3,120 hours |
| 2.00 | 2.00 * 2080 | 4,160 hours |
| 5.00 | 5.00 * 2080 | 10,400 hours |
Example of Fte To Hours Calculator
A project manager has been allocated a budget of 3.5 FTEs for an entire year to complete a project. The manager needs to know how many total work hours this budget represents for the year.
Step 1: Identify the known values.
- FTE Value: 3.5
- Time Period: Annual
Step 2: Use the formula for converting annual FTE to hours.
Total Annual Hours = FTE Value * 2080
Total Annual Hours = 3.5 * 2080
Total Annual Hours = 7,280 hours
Therefore, a budget of 3.5 FTEs provides the project manager with a total of 7,280 work hours to allocate over the course of the year.
Most Common FAQs
FTE stands for "Full-Time Equivalent." It is a standardized unit of measurement that represents the workload of one full-time employee. For example, 1.0 FTE is equivalent to one full-time person's hours, while 0.5 FTE is equivalent to the hours of a half-time employee. It allows organizations to measure their total labor capacity in a consistent way.
The number 2,080 is derived from a standard 40-hour workweek. There are 52 weeks in a year, so the calculation is simply 40 hours per week multiplied by 52 weeks per year, which equals 2,080 hours. This is a widely used standard in business and government for annual workforce planning.
No, the standard FTE to hours calculation (using 2,080 hours per year) represents the total number of paid hours, not the actual number of productive hours. To find the productive hours, a project manager would need to subtract the average number of hours for holidays, vacation, and sick leave from the total. This is a crucial next step in detailed project planning.