A part-time job ad salary should state what you will pay for the advertised hours, the currency and pay period, and whether the amount is gross or net. If you also show a full-time equivalent, label it as a reference and give its weekly-hours basis. A candidate should not need to calculate their likely pay from a headline.

This distinction surfaced in the November 2026 Hacker News hiring thread. Simple Analytics advertised a developer role with a €5,000 monthly figure and the option to work 24 or 32 hours. In a [follow-up clarification](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50340270), the employer explained that the figure was based on 40 hours. Read alongside the [original posting](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50338732), that denominator changes how a reader should interpret the number.

The useful lesson is about writing the whole offer in one place. A salary amount can be perfectly legible while its relationship to the working week remains unclear. You can fix that before publishing, using a small pay table and a few explicit terms.

## State actual part-time pay before the full-time reference

Lead with the amount attached to the schedule you are hiring for. Put any full-time equivalent beside it as context, with an explicit label.

“€5,000 per month, part-time possible” leaves a practical question unanswered: does the employer pay that amount for the shorter week, or reduce it with hours? Both are possible arrangements. Tell candidates which arrangement you mean.

A full-time equivalent, often shortened to FTE, expresses compensation against a full-time working schedule. This comparison concept also appears in [Australian WGEA remuneration reporting guidance](https://www.wgea.gov.au/reporting/reporting-guide/steps/wpp/unit), whose reporting rules are specific to that framework. For a posting, the reference needs a denominator: how many weekly hours count as full-time in this offer? Do not assume that readers share your definition.

For the Simple Analytics clarification, 40 hours is the stated basis. If you apply a straight proportional calculation, the arithmetic is:

| Weekly hours | Share of the 40-hour reference | Calculated monthly amount |
|---|---:|---:|
| 40 | 100% | €5,000 |
| 32 | 80% | €4,000 |
| 24 | 60% | €3,000 |

**The €4,000 and €3,000 figures are our arithmetic examples, not verified offers from Simple Analytics.** The calculation assumes that monthly pay scales directly with weekly hours. The source clarification establishes the 40-hour basis; it does not establish every term of an individual offer.

Apply the same distinction to your own ad. If you have approved a 32-hour salary, publish that amount. If you have approved only a full-time reference and still need to decide how part-time pay works, settle the policy before presenting an example as an offer.

## Make the calculation reproducible

When pay scales proportionally, use the same period and the same hours basis throughout the calculation:

**Part-time pay = full-time reference pay × advertised weekly hours ÷ full-time weekly hours.**

[Indeed’s employer guide to pro-rata pay](https://uk.indeed.com/hire/c/info/what-is-pro-rata?co=GB&hl=en) describes the same arithmetic. For the worked example, €5,000 × 32 ÷ 40 gives €4,000 per month. Readers can check it without converting weeks into months or guessing how many working days you count.

Do not reduce an amount again if it is already the actual pay for the shorter schedule. Keep the assumptions visible. The formula does not decide whether benefits scale, whether a bonus changes, whether on-call work earns extra pay, or whether a contractor should charge the same amount. Those are separate terms that you need to define.

It also does not decide how your company prices a shorter working week. You might offer the same monthly salary for fewer hours, or use another agreed arrangement. If so, state the actual amount and schedule directly. A proportional formula should explain an approved policy, not quietly create one.

For a range, apply the same approved policy to both endpoints. As an invented example, a €5,000–€6,000 monthly reference at 40 hours becomes €4,000–€4,800 at 32 hours under proportional scaling. Label the latter as the actual 32-hour band only after the hiring owner has approved it.

If you are still deciding the reference band, check the evidence separately. Our [salary benchmark source audit](/blog/salary-benchmark-source-audit) covers how to distinguish advertised salaries, wages paid and total compensation before you use them in a hiring budget.

## Put the pay basis in a short posting block

A useful salary block answers the candidate's budget question before introducing comparisons. Keep the amount and its hours together wherever the posting appears.

Here is an **invented employee posting example**. It demonstrates wording for an employer that has approved proportional pay; it is not a rewrite of the Simple Analytics offer.

> **Salary and hours**
>
> €4,000 gross per month for 32 hours per week, paid in EUR.
>
> We can also hire at 24 hours per week for €3,000 gross per month. These are the base salaries for the stated schedules.
>
> For comparison, our full-time salary reference is €5,000 gross per month at 40 hours per week. Base salary scales proportionally with contracted weekly hours.
>
> The weekly schedule will be agreed before an offer. On-call duties, if required, will be described with their frequency, coverage hours and compensation before you accept.

“Gross” in this example is an explicit fictional offer term. **Do not infer gross or net treatment for the original HN figures from this example.** For your own ad, verify the intended label with the person who owns the compensation terms.

You can shorten the block for a hiring thread: “€4,000 gross/month at 32h/week; 24h option at €3,000 gross/month. Full-time reference: €5,000 gross/month at 40h/week.” Link to the full terms for schedule and on-call details.

For a fixed 32-hour vacancy, keep the 32-hour amount in the headline. If several schedules are available, use a table with one approved amount or range per schedule. A range should describe the pay choices available for that schedule, rather than mixing a 24-hour minimum with a 40-hour maximum.

## Keep employee salary and contractor fees separate

Employment and contracting need their own compensation descriptions. A currency conversion or hours calculation cannot establish that two arrangements are economically equivalent.

The [Simple Analytics job page](https://www.simpleanalytics.com/jobs/devops) describes employment for people based in the EU and a freelancer arrangement for people outside the EU. Candidates need to know both the engagement type and the hours. It does not justify treating a quoted employee salary as a confirmed contractor fee.

If you recruit through both arrangements, give each a distinct block. For employment, specify base salary, working hours and the benefits you are actually offering. For contracting, specify the fee unit, expected capacity, invoicing currency and payment terms. Explain how applicable taxes or VAT are handled in the quote rather than leaving readers to assume.

Do not describe a contractor fee as take-home pay. Nor should you claim that matching monthly numbers provide matching compensation: leave, insurance, equipment and other terms may differ. State the terms you have approved and let candidates compare them on that basis.

If the fee remains to be agreed, say so. Avoid filling the contractor section by copying the employee number merely to make the posting look complete. This is guidance on clear offer descriptions, not a determination of worker status or a jurisdiction-specific legal checklist.

## Describe on-call work alongside the shorter week

A shorter working week needs a clear boundary around availability. Explain whether on-call duties exist, when they fall and how they relate to contracted hours and pay.

The Simple Analytics job page includes an on-call expectation. That makes availability a useful question to resolve when interpreting this particular vacancy. It does not tell us how every individual schedule or payment arrangement will work.

For your own posting, replace “occasional on-call” with the facts candidates need. State the rotation or expected frequency, the coverage window and the response expectation. Say whether coverage falls within the advertised weekly hours or adds a separate availability obligation.

Then explain compensation. If on-call pay is separate from base salary, show its basis separately. If it is included, say what is included. Do not make a headline salary look larger by combining guaranteed base pay with a possible payment that depends on taking shifts.

You may not have every rota date when you open the vacancy. You can still state the boundaries you know and identify what will be agreed before acceptance. A 24-hour schedule with an undefined availability obligation leaves a different decision for the candidate than a defined 24-hour week.

## Check every place the salary appears

Your job page, hiring-thread post and salary fields should describe the same offer. A careful explanation in the description cannot repair a misleading number that travels alone.

Before publishing, have someone outside the hiring conversation read only the salary block. Ask them to repeat the monthly amount for each available schedule, identify the full-time denominator, and explain whether on-call payments are included. Any answer they have to guess belongs in the copy.

Then check the short versions. A social post may preserve the euro amount but omit the hours. A job form may collect the salary period while leaving weekly hours in free text. A copied posting may retain an old reference after you approve a different schedule.

Use this publication check:

- The headline amount matches the advertised schedule.
- Currency, pay period and gross or net basis are explicit.
- Each available hours option has its own approved pay amount or range.
- Any full-time reference includes weekly hours and a clear label.
- Employee salary and contractor fees have separate terms.
- On-call availability and compensation are explained together.
- Short posts and the full job page agree.

When terms change, update those surfaces together. Every version should let candidates understand the offer.

## Keep the salary fields and job description aligned in Kit

Structured salary fields help you publish consistent numbers, while the job description carries the explanation that a number cannot hold. Use both to describe the same approved offer.

Kit's job postings support a salary minimum and maximum, currency, pay period and employment type, alongside a rich-text description. **Kit does not calculate full-time equivalents or prorate salaries for you.** Decide and verify the amounts before entering them.

For a fixed 32-hour role, keep the salary fields aligned with the amount offered for that schedule. Use the description to state weekly hours, any full-time comparison, gross or net basis, and separate on-call terms. If one posting offers several schedules, check that its headline number remains understandable alongside the pay table.

Start with the salary block above, replace every illustrative term with your approved offer, and ask a colleague to read it without context. Once the amount, hours and engagement basis are clear, carry the same wording into your [job posting in Kit](/docs/creating-a-job-posting). Candidates should be able to decide whether the offer fits before they apply.