Why each week is counted separately
A biweekly paycheck covers two workweeks, but overtime is decided one workweek at a time. If you work 50 hours in week 1 and 30 hours in week 2, you still earn 10 overtime hours, even though the two-week total is exactly 80. Source: 29 CFR 778.104.
How overtime is calculated
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, nonexempt employees must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek. A workweek is a fixed period of seven consecutive days, and each week stands on its own: hours are not averaged across a two-week pay period. There is no federal overtime for long single days. Source: U.S. Department of Labor and 29 CFR 778.104.
California adds daily rules. Time and a half applies after 8 hours in a workday, after 40 hours in a workweek, and for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek. Double time applies after 12 hours in a workday and after 8 hours on that seventh day. Choose California rules to apply them. Source: California Labor Commissioner.
Other places set different limits. To change the weekly limit, keep Over 40 hours a week and edit Weekly overtime after under Card settings; Ontario, for example, uses 44 hours. Where overtime also starts after a set number of hours in one day, choose Daily and weekly limits.
Which breaks to subtract
Enter only unpaid breaks. Under federal rules, short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes count as hours worked, while a bona fide meal period, usually 30 minutes or more with no duties, does not. Some states require meal or rest breaks; your employer's policy decides whether a break is paid. Source: 29 CFR 785.18 and 785.19.
Questions
Is biweekly the same as semimonthly?
No. Biweekly pay comes every two weeks, 26 times a year. Semimonthly pay comes twice a month, 24 times a year, so a pay period can split a workweek.
Can I start the week on Sunday?
Yes. Change Week starts on under Card settings to match your employer's workweek.