Overtime Pay Calculator
Calculate a week’s pay when some of the hours are overtime.
40 hours under federal law.
Some agreements pay 2× beyond a second cutoff. Hours past it are paid at 2× rather than the multiplier above.
| Type | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40 | $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime | 6 | $30.00 | $180.00 |
| Total for the week | 46 | $980.00 |
Gross pay, before tax and deductions. Federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) requires at least 1.5× for hours over 40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees — it is a weekly test, not a daily one, and some states add their own rules on top. Overtime must be based on your “regular rate”, which includes non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials, so it can be higher than your base hourly rate.
How it works
- Enter your regular hourly rate and the hours you worked this week.
- Leave the threshold at 40 for the federal rule, or change it to match your agreement.
- Pick the multiplier — 1.5× is time and a half — and add a double-time cutoff if your contract has one.
Frequently asked questions
- How is time and a half calculated?
- Hours up to the threshold are paid at your regular rate, and hours beyond it at 1.5 times that rate. At $20 an hour for 46 hours: 40 × $20 = $800 regular, plus 6 × $30 = $180 overtime, giving $980 for the week. Overtime replaces the regular rate for those hours rather than being added on top of it.
- Is overtime based on daily or weekly hours?
- Federal law uses the workweek, not the day. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees are owed at least 1.5× for hours over 40 in a workweek — so four ten-hour days is 40 hours and no federal overtime, even though two of those days were long. Some states impose daily rules on top of the federal weekly one, which is why the threshold here is editable.
- What is the “regular rate” overtime is based on?
- More than your base hourly wage. The regular rate generally includes non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials and production incentives, averaged over the hours worked. So if you earned an attendance bonus that week, your true overtime rate is above 1.5× your base wage. Enter that higher effective rate to get an accurate figure.
- When does double time apply?
- Not under federal law at all — it comes from state rules or a union or employment contract. Where it exists it usually kicks in beyond a second, higher cutoff, for example beyond 12 hours in a day. Use the double-time field for that: hours past your cutoff are paid at 2× while hours between the two thresholds stay at your chosen multiplier.
- Am I entitled to overtime if I am salaried?
- Possibly. Being paid a salary does not by itself make you exempt — exemption depends on your duties and on meeting a minimum salary threshold. Many salaried employees are non-exempt and legally owed overtime. If you think that applies to you, check with your state labor department or the US Department of Labor rather than assuming.
About this tool
Overtime is simple arithmetic that goes wrong in predictable ways, usually by adding the premium on top of the regular rate instead of replacing it. This calculator splits your week into regular, overtime and optional double-time hours and shows the rate and pay for each, so the total is auditable rather than a single number to trust.
The federal rule is a weekly test. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5× their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek — there is no federal daily overtime, so four ten-hour days triggers none of it. Several states add daily thresholds and their own multipliers, and union agreements often go further, which is why both the threshold and the multiplier are editable here rather than fixed at the federal minimum.
One subtlety worth getting right: overtime is calculated on your regular rate, which is not always your base wage. Non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials and production incentives generally have to be folded in and averaged across the hours worked, which raises the rate your overtime is computed from. If you had a bonus that week, entering just your base hourly wage understates what you are owed — enter the higher effective rate instead.
Double time is not a federal entitlement; where it exists it comes from state law or a contract, typically beyond a second and higher cutoff such as 12 hours in a day. The optional field handles that case, paying hours past your cutoff at 2× while hours between the two thresholds stay at your chosen multiplier. Everything shown is gross pay before tax and deductions, and none of it is legal advice — for a dispute about entitlement, the US Department of Labor or your state labor department is the right place to go.