Overtime Calculator

Overtime pay basics

What overtime pay means

Overtime pay is the extra pay you receive for working more hours than the normal limit. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, a covered, nonexempt employee must generally be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek. That is where the phrase “time and a half” comes from. Some states, union contracts and employers go further, for example by paying overtime after 8 hours in a day or paying double time in certain situations.

Not every worker is entitled to overtime. Exempt employees, such as many salaried managers and professionals who meet federal salary and duties tests, are not covered by the federal overtime requirement. Independent contractors are not employees at all. If you are unsure which group you are in, the federal overtime rules guide explains the basics.

How the time and a half calculation works

For an employee paid only an hourly wage, the basic arithmetic has three parts:

• Regular pay = hourly rate × regular hours
• Overtime rate = hourly rate × overtime multiplier (1.5 for time and a half)
• Overtime pay = overtime rate × overtime hours

Add regular pay and overtime pay together and you have your estimated gross pay for the period. The calculator shows every one of these numbers and the arithmetic behind them, so you can compare it with your pay stub line by line.

Worked example

Hypothetical example: Maria earns $22.00 an hour and works 47 hours in one workweek. She has no bonus and one pay rate.

1. Regular pay: 40 hours × $22.00 = $880.00
2. Overtime hours: 47 − 40 = 7 hours
3. Overtime rate: $22.00 × 1.5 = $33.00 an hour
4. Overtime pay: 7 × $33.00 = $231.00
5. Estimated gross pay: $880.00 + $231.00 = $1,111.00 before deductions

This example shows the arithmetic only. Whether Maria is legally owed overtime depends on her job classification and the law that applies to her.

Regular pay and overtime pay are calculated separately

It helps to keep two buckets apart. The first bucket is every hour up to the overtime threshold, paid at your normal rate. The second bucket is only the hours above the threshold, paid at the higher rate. Many pay stubs list them on separate lines, often labeled “REG” and “OT”. When the two lines on your stub do not add up the way you expect, check the hours in each bucket first; that is where most differences come from.

Overtime hours are not the same as total hours

A common mistake is to type your total hours into the overtime box. If you worked 46 hours, your overtime hours are 6, not 46. In the Simple estimate mode, enter 40 regular hours and 6 overtime hours. In the Federal workweek mode you enter the total (46) and the calculator works out the 6 overtime hours for you, because federal overtime starts after 40 hours in the workweek.

Time and a half: rates and examples

Choose 1.5× in the calculator at the top of this page, or look up your rate in the table below.

What “time and a half” means

Time and a half is an overtime rate equal to your regular hourly rate plus half of it again. For covered, nonexempt employees, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets this as the minimum rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. It is a floor, not a cap: some employers pay more.

The formula is simple: time and a half rate = hourly rate × 1.5. Another way to think about it is that every overtime hour earns your normal rate (the “time”) plus a 50% premium (the “half”).

Time and a half rate table

Use this table to look up a time and a half rate quickly. The last two columns show what 5 and 10 overtime hours are worth at that rate. Amounts are exact for a single hourly rate with no bonus.

How to calculate time and a half by hand

1. Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate.
2. Multiply the overtime rate by the number of overtime hours.
3. Add that to your regular pay for the first 40 hours.

Example: $18 an hour, 46 hours in the workweek. Regular pay is 40 × $18 = $720. The overtime rate is $27, so 6 overtime hours earn $162. Estimated gross pay is $882 before deductions.

The “half-time premium” view

Payroll departments and the Department of Labor often describe overtime differently: pay every hour, including overtime hours, at the straight rate, then add an extra half of the regular rate for each overtime hour. With $18 an hour and 46 hours, that is 46 × $18 = $828 plus 6 × $9 = $54, which also equals $882. The answer is the same; the second method makes it easier to include bonuses or more than one pay rate, which is what the Federal workweek mode in the calculator does.

The half-time premium is also the amount that IRS guidance generally treats as qualified overtime compensation for the 2025–2028 federal overtime deduction, so it can be useful to know it.

Things that can change your time and a half rate

• Nondiscretionary bonuses paid for the week raise the regular rate, so the overtime rate is higher than 1.5 × your base wage.
• Shift differentials (for example an extra $1.50 an hour for nights) are part of the regular rate.
• Two jobs at different rates for the same employer in one week usually means a weighted-average regular rate. Enter both rates in the Federal workweek mode.
• Holidays and weekends do not require time and a half under federal law. Any premium for those days comes from your contract or employer policy.

Double time pay

Choose 2× in the calculator at the top of this page, or a custom multiplier such as 2.5×.

What double time is

Double time is a premium rate of 2× your regular hourly rate. At $20 an hour, double time is $40 an hour. The formula is: double time pay = hourly rate × 2 × double time hours.

Example: $20 an hour, 40 regular hours and 5 hours at double time. Regular pay $800.00, double time pay 5 × $40.00 = $200.00, estimated gross pay $1,000.00 before deductions.

When is double time required?

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require double time. It only requires at least time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek for covered, nonexempt employees. Double time comes from one of these sources:

• State law. California requires double the regular rate for hours worked over 12 in a workday and for hours over 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek. Other states generally do not require double time.
• Union or employment contracts. Many collective bargaining agreements pay double time for long shifts, Sundays, holidays or call-backs.
• Employer policy. Some employers voluntarily pay double time for holidays or emergency shifts.

If you work in California, the California overtime calculator sorts your hours into straight time, time and a half and double time automatically.

Double time rate table

Mixing time and a half and double time

A single week can include both. For example, a California worker who works one 14-hour day has 8 straight-time hours, 4 hours at time and a half (hours 9 to 12) and 2 hours at double time (hours 13 and 14). This simple calculator applies one multiplier to all overtime hours you enter, so for a mixed week either use the California calculator or run the calculator twice: once for the 1.5× hours and once for the 2× hours with 0 regular hours, then add the overtime results.

Double time and a half

Some contracts pay “double time and a half” (2.5×), often for holiday work. Choose Custom multiplier and enter 2.5. At $20 an hour that is $50 an hour.

Weekly overtime hours calculator (time card)

Don’t know your overtime hours yet? Tick the days you worked, pick your clock-in and clock-out times and unpaid break, and this time card adds up the week, finds the hours over 40 and estimates your pay.

How the weekly overtime hours are counted

For each day, the calculator subtracts your clock-in time from your clock-out time and then subtracts the unpaid break. It adds the days together for the workweek. Under federal law, hours up to 40 are regular hours and every hour above 40 is an overtime hour. You can change the threshold if your contract uses a different number, but the federal standard is 40.

Example: Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch is 8 hours a day, or 40 hours. Add a 5-hour Saturday and the week totals 45 hours: 40 regular and 5 overtime. At $20 an hour that is $800 regular pay plus 5 × $30 = $150 overtime, or $950 before deductions.

Which breaks count as hours worked?

The Department of Labor explains that short rest breaks, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, are counted as hours worked and must be paid. A genuine meal period, normally 30 minutes or more, is not work time if you are completely relieved from duty. If you have to stay at your desk or answer calls while eating, that time generally counts as work. Only enter unpaid meal breaks in the break box.

Night shifts and shifts that cross midnight

If your clock-out time is earlier than your clock-in time, the calculator treats the shift as overnight. For example, 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM with a 30-minute break is 7.5 hours. Under federal rules the hours count in the workweek your employer has defined, so long night shifts are handled the same way as day shifts.

Converting minutes to decimal hours

Pay stubs and timekeeping systems often show hours as decimals. Divide minutes by 60: 45 minutes is 0.75 hours, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours.

Time clock rounding

Some employers round punches to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes. Federal rules allow rounding only if it averages out so that employees are paid for all the time they actually work over time. This time card uses 15-minute steps, so pick the times your employer records.

Biweekly and semimonthly pay periods

Federal overtime is measured one workweek at a time. If you are paid every two weeks, fill in the time card for each week separately and add the results. Do not combine both weeks: 45 hours plus 35 hours earns 5 overtime hours, even though the total is exactly 80.

California overtime calculator

California pays overtime by the day as well as by the week. Enter the hours you worked on each day of one workweek and this calculator splits them into straight time, time and a half and double time.

California overtime rules in brief

According to the California Department of Industrial Relations, most nonexempt employees age 18 and over must be paid:

• 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 8 and up to 12 in a workday, for hours over 40 in a workweek, and for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek.
• 2× the regular rate for hours over 12 in a workday and for hours over 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek.

Hours that already earned daily overtime are not counted a second time toward the weekly 40. The calculator applies the daily rules first, then converts any straight-time hours above 40 to overtime.

Worked examples at $24 an hour

• One 10-hour day: 8 × $24 = $192, plus 2 × $36 = $72. Total $264.
• One 14-hour day: 8 × $24 = $192, plus 4 × $36 = $144, plus 2 × $48 = $96. Total $432.
• Five 8-hour days plus a 6-hour Saturday: no day is over 8, but straight time reaches 46 hours, so 6 hours become weekly overtime: 40 × $24 + 6 × $36 = $1,176.
• Seven days in a row, 9 hours on the seventh: the seventh day is paid 8 hours at $36 and 1 hour at $48.

These are hypothetical examples with a single hourly rate and no bonus.

What the seventh-day rule means

The seventh-day premium applies only when you work on all seven days of the employer’s defined workweek. Working seven days in a row that straddle two workweeks does not trigger it. That is why this calculator asks for Day 1 to Day 7 of one workweek and applies the rule to Day 7 only when every day has hours.

Situations this calculator does not cover

• Alternative workweek schedules (for example four 10-hour days approved by a secret-ballot election), which change the daily threshold.
• Exempt employees and industries with their own wage-order rules.
• Meal and rest period premiums. When a required break is not provided, California generally requires one additional hour of pay at the regular rate for each type of missed break per day. These are not added here.
• Bonuses, commissions and more than one pay rate, which affect the regular rate of pay.

Overtime pay for 45, 50 and 60 hours a week

What a long week is worth at common hourly rates. Every figure assumes one hourly rate, overtime at time and a half after 40 hours in the workweek, and gross pay before deductions.

Weekly pay table

How to read it: at $25 an hour, a 50-hour week is 40 × $25 = $1,000 regular pay plus 10 × $37.50 = $375 overtime, for $1,375 before deductions.

How much extra does each overtime hour add?

Each hour over 40 is worth 1.5 times your rate, so it adds more than a normal hour. At $20 an hour, working 45 hours instead of 40 adds $150 (not $100), and working 60 hours adds $600 on top of the $800 for the first 40.

• 45 hours = 40 regular + 5 overtime hours
• 50 hours = 40 regular + 10 overtime hours
• 55 hours = 40 regular + 15 overtime hours
• 60 hours = 40 regular + 20 overtime hours
• 70 hours = 40 regular + 30 overtime hours

12-hour shifts and overtime

Under the federal workweek rule, the number of shifts matters more than their length:

• Three 12-hour shifts = 36 hours. No federal overtime.
• Four 12-hour shifts = 48 hours. 8 hours of federal overtime.

Many 12-hour rotations (for example a two-week pattern of 36 and 48 hours) produce overtime only in the longer week. With $25 an hour, the 36-hour week pays $900 and the 48-hour week pays 40 × $25 + 8 × $37.50 = $1,300. The two-week total is $2,200. If you averaged the 84 hours over two weeks you would wrongly get only 4 overtime hours per week; that is why each workweek must be calculated separately.

Some employers and states treat 12-hour shifts differently. In California, each 12-hour day normally includes 4 hours of daily overtime unless an approved alternative workweek schedule applies. Hospitals and residential care facilities may use a special 8-and-80 system under federal law by agreement with employees. Check your employer’s written policy.

Does overtime make a long week worth it?

That is a personal decision, but it helps to know the real numbers. Because overtime is paid at a higher rate, the average per hour rises as hours go up: at $20 an hour, a 60-hour week averages $23.33 per hour worked. Remember that the figures here are before taxes and deductions, and a larger paycheck can have more income tax withheld.

How to calculate overtime pay, step by step

The method payroll uses for an hourly employee, including bonuses, shift differentials and more than one pay rate. The Federal workweek mode of the calculator follows these steps.

Step 1: Identify the workweek

Federal overtime is measured per workweek. A workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, or seven consecutive 24-hour periods. It does not have to match the calendar week; your employer chooses when it starts. Each workweek stands alone, so hours cannot be averaged across two or more weeks, even if you are paid every two weeks or twice a month.

Step 2: Count all hours worked

Hours worked generally include all the time you are required to be on duty or at the workplace, plus any extra time your employer allows you to work. Short rest breaks are counted. Bona fide meal periods when you are fully relieved of duty usually are not. Paid vacation, holidays and sick days that you did not work are not hours worked under federal law. If you need help totaling a week from clock times, use the weekly time card calculator.

Step 3: Work out the regular rate of pay

The regular rate is an hourly figure that includes almost all pay for the work. For someone paid only one hourly wage, the regular rate is simply that wage. When other pay is involved, add up everything earned at straight time for the week and divide by all hours worked:

Regular rate = (straight-time earnings + nondiscretionary bonuses + other includable pay) ÷ total hours worked

Usually included: shift differentials, nondiscretionary bonuses (promised production, attendance, quality or safety bonuses), commissions and pay at different rates for different jobs.

Usually excluded: truly discretionary bonuses, gifts for special occasions, pay for time not worked (vacation, holidays, sick leave), expense reimbursements and premiums that are themselves overtime premiums. The Department of Labor’s fact sheets list the exact conditions; whether a particular payment counts can depend on details.

Step 4: Find the overtime hours

Overtime hours are the hours worked over 40 in the workweek: overtime hours = total hours − 40, or zero if you worked 40 or fewer. State law or a contract can add daily overtime on top of this.

Step 5: Calculate the overtime premium and add it

There are two equivalent ways to finish:

• Time-and-a-half method: 40 hours × regular rate + overtime hours × (1.5 × regular rate).
• Half-time premium method: all hours are already paid at straight time inside the regular-rate calculation, so add overtime hours × (0.5 × regular rate).

The half-time method is easier when bonuses or two pay rates are involved, because the straight-time pay for every hour is already counted. This calculator’s Federal workweek mode uses it.

Full examples

Example 1: One hourly rate

$12 an hour, 46 hours. Regular rate $12. Straight time 46 × $12 = $552. Premium 6 × $6 = $36. Total $588. (This matches the example in 29 CFR 778.110(a).)

Example 2: Hourly rate plus a weekly production bonus

Same week plus a $46 production bonus. Straight-time earnings $552 + $46 = $598. Regular rate $598 ÷ 46 = $13. Premium 6 × $6.50 = $39. Total $637. (29 CFR 778.110(b).) Simply adding the bonus on top of time and a half of $12 would give $634, which is $3 short.

Example 3: Two jobs at two rates

40 hours at $15 and 8 hours at $9 for the same employer. Straight time $600 + $72 = $672 for 48 hours. Weighted regular rate $672 ÷ 48 = $14. Premium 8 × $7 = $56. Total $728. (Weighted-average method of 29 CFR 778.115.)

An employer and employee can agree in advance to pay overtime at 1.5 times the rate for the job actually performed during the overtime hours instead, under specific conditions in the regulations. This calculator uses the default weighted-average method.

Example 4: Shift differential

Base rate $16.00 with a $2.00 night differential, 30 day hours and 14 night hours (44 total). Straight time: 30 × $16 + 14 × $18 = $480 + $252 = $732. Regular rate $732 ÷ 44 = $16.636… Premium 4 × $8.318… = $33.27. Total $765.27. In the calculator, enter $16 for 30 hours and $18 as the second rate for 14 hours.

Bonuses that cover more than one week

When a nondiscretionary bonus is paid monthly, quarterly or yearly, the regular rate for each week in that period is recalculated and extra overtime may be owed for weeks with overtime once the bonus is known. A common approach is to spread the bonus over the weeks it covers and pay the additional half-time on each week’s overtime hours. This calculator handles a bonus for a single workweek only.

Salaried nonexempt employees

Some employees receive a salary but are not exempt. Their regular rate depends on what the salary is meant to cover. If a salary covers a fixed 40-hour week, the regular rate is the weekly salary divided by 40. Other arrangements, including the fluctuating workweek method, follow special rules that this calculator does not model.

Check your result

Run your own numbers in the overtime calculator. If your pay stub looks different, ask your payroll department how your regular rate was worked out. For official guidance, contact the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243 or your state labor department.

Federal overtime rules (FLSA) in plain English

The core rule

Unless an exemption applies, employees covered by the FLSA must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, at a rate of at least one and one-half times their regular rate of pay. Overtime earned in a workweek should normally be paid on the regular payday for the pay period in which it was earned.

• There is no federal limit on how many hours an adult may be asked to work.
• The FLSA does not require extra pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays or regular days of rest, as such.
• Overtime pay cannot be waived, even if the employee agrees.
• Announcing that overtime is not allowed does not excuse an employer from paying for overtime that was actually worked.

Who is covered, and who is exempt?

Most employees of businesses that meet the FLSA’s coverage tests, and most government employees, are covered. Some workers are exempt from overtime. The best known are the “white-collar” exemptions for executive, administrative and professional employees. To be exempt under these, an employee generally must:

1. be paid on a salary basis (a predetermined amount that does not change with the quantity or quality of work),
2. be paid at least $684 per week ($35,568 per year), the federal level in effect in 2026, and
3. perform job duties that meet the relevant duties test.

Job titles do not decide exempt status. A 2024 rule that would have raised the salary level was vacated by a federal court in November 2024, so $684 a week remains the federal figure. A separate highly compensated employee test uses total annual compensation of $107,432. Several states, including California, Colorado, New York and Washington, set higher salary levels for exempt status under state law.

Other exemptions and special rules exist for certain jobs, such as some outside sales, computer, agricultural, transportation and seasonal workers. If you are unsure, check the Department of Labor’s resources or ask your state labor department.

The workweek

A workweek is any fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours (seven consecutive 24-hour periods). It can begin on any day and at any hour, but once set it should stay the same. Each workweek is separate: an employer cannot average hours over two or more weeks to avoid overtime.

Hours worked

Hours worked include all time the employee is required to be on duty or at a prescribed workplace, and any additional time the employer “suffers or permits” the employee to work. That can include some pre-shift and post-shift tasks, short rest breaks and certain on-call or travel time. Bona fide meal periods when the employee is completely relieved of duty are generally not hours worked.

Compensatory time off

Under the FLSA, public agencies (state and local governments) may in some circumstances give compensatory time off instead of cash overtime. Private-sector employers generally must pay overtime in money.

Where state law differs

States may require more than federal law, and the more protective rule generally applies. Examples include:

• Daily overtime: California (after 8 hours, double time after 12), Alaska (after 8 hours for many employers) and Nevada (after 8 hours in a 24-hour period for employees below a pay threshold).
• Colorado requires overtime after 12 hours in a workday or 12 consecutive hours, as well as after 40 in a workweek.
• Higher salary thresholds for exempt status in several states.

Rules change, so confirm the current law with your state labor department before relying on it.

Records and getting help

Employers covered by the FLSA must keep records of hours worked and wages paid for nonexempt employees. Keeping your own record of the hours you work, for example with the weekly time card, can help you check your paycheck. If you think you have not been paid correctly, you can speak to your employer’s payroll or HR team, contact the Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243, contact your state labor department, or talk to an employment attorney.

This page is general information, not legal advice.

What “gross pay before deductions” means

Gross pay is what you earn before anything is taken out. Your take-home (net) pay will be lower after federal and state income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare, and any deductions for health insurance, retirement plans or wage garnishments. This calculator does not estimate taxes or net pay.

For tax years 2025 through 2028, federal law allows eligible workers to deduct qualified overtime compensation on their federal income tax return. According to IRS guidance, this is generally the “half” portion of time and a half that the FLSA requires, up to $12,500 a year ($25,000 for joint filers), with a phase-out at higher incomes. It is a deduction when you file, not a change to your paycheck: overtime is still subject to withholding, Social Security and Medicare. The Federal workweek mode shows the overtime premium separately, which can help you check the amount your employer reports. Confirm your own eligibility with the IRS or a tax professional.

Common overtime calculation mistakes

• Averaging two weeks together. Overtime is counted per workweek. 45 hours one week and 35 the next is 5 overtime hours, even though the two-week total is 80.
• Entering total hours as overtime hours in a simple calculator.
• Leaving out bonuses or shift differentials when working out the overtime rate.
• Counting paid time off as hours worked. Under federal law, vacation, holiday and sick hours that were not worked do not count toward the 40, although a contract or state rule may say otherwise.
• Forgetting short paid breaks. Federal rules generally treat rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes as work time; only genuine meal periods where you are fully relieved of duty are usually unpaid.
• Rounding the overtime rate too early. Round the final dollar amount, not each step.

Frequently asked questions

How this calculator works (methodology)

The exact formulas, rounding rules and test cases behind every calculator on this page, so you can judge how far to rely on them.

Simple estimate mode

• Regular pay = hourly rate × regular hours
• Overtime rate = hourly rate × multiplier (1.5, 2 or a custom value of at least 1)
• Overtime pay = overtime rate × overtime hours
• Gross pay = regular pay + overtime pay + any additional pay entered
• Effective average = gross pay ÷ (regular hours + overtime hours)

Additional pay is added exactly as entered and is never used to change the overtime rate in this mode. The pay period label is a label only and does not change the math.

Federal workweek (FLSA) mode

• Straight-time earnings = rate A × hours A + rate B × hours B + nondiscretionary bonus for the week
• Regular rate = straight-time earnings ÷ total hours (29 CFR 778.110 and 778.115)
• Overtime hours = total hours − 40 (never below zero)
• Overtime premium = 0.5 × regular rate × overtime hours
• Gross pay = straight-time earnings + overtime premium

Not modeled: salaried nonexempt arrangements, fluctuating workweek, bonuses that cover several weeks, commissions paid later, overtime at the rate of the job performed (section 7(g)(2)), tips, and exempt status.

Weekly time card

Each day: minutes = clock-out − clock-in (plus 24 hours if clock-out is earlier) − unpaid break. Days are added, then hours above the threshold (default 40) are overtime at the selected multiplier. A day where the break is as long as the shift is flagged and not counted.

California calculator

For days 1 to 6 (and day 7 unless all seven days have hours): up to 8 hours at 1×, hours 8 to 12 at 1.5×, hours over 12 at 2×. If all seven days have hours, day 7 is paid at 1.5× for the first 8 hours and 2× after that. Straight-time hours above 40 for the week are then converted to 1.5×. This follows the overtime summary published by the California Department of Industrial Relations.

Rounding

Calculations use full precision. Dollar amounts are rounded to the cent only when displayed, and each line is rounded before the gross total is added, so the lines you see always add up to the total. A displayed overtime rate such as $26.00 may be a rounded version of a longer number (for example $25.995); the exact value is used in the overtime pay.

Validation

Inputs must be numbers of 0 or more. Negative numbers and text are rejected with a message. Hourly rates must be above $0; hours in one week cannot exceed 168. A blank optional field means “not used”, which is different from 0.

Test cases we run

Editorial standards

• Legal rules are taken from primary sources: the U.S. Department of Labor, federal regulations, state labor agencies and the IRS. Secondary sources are used only to check that a rule is still current.
• Examples are clearly labeled as hypothetical. We do not publish testimonials, ratings or invented statistics.
• ToolBoon is not a law firm, payroll provider or tax adviser, and our content does not replace professional advice.
• Pages are reviewed when the underlying rules change. The “Last reviewed” date appears at the end of each guide.
• Found an error? Email toolboon.site@gmail.com and we will check it.