How to use the overtime calculator
- Enter your hourly rate.
- Enter the total hours you worked in the workweek. Hours over 40 become overtime automatically; change Overtime after if a different limit applies.
- Keep the overtime rate at 1.5 for time and a half, or change it if your employer or contract pays more.
- Add double time hours, and any shift differentials or bonuses earned that week, if you have them.
If you have daily in and out times instead of totals, use the time card calculator. To add up shift lengths first, use the time calculator.
Time and a half and double time
Time and a half means 1.5 times your regular rate for each overtime hour. At $18 an hour that is $27 an hour, so 5 overtime hours pay $135. Double time is 2 times the regular rate, or $36 an hour at the same wage.
| Hourly rate | Time and a half | Double time |
|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $30.00 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $36.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $50.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $60.00 |
Shift differentials and bonuses raise the regular rate, as shown below.
When overtime applies
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, nonexempt employees earn at least time and a half for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The workweek is a fixed, recurring seven-day period set by the employer. Each week stands alone, so hours cannot be averaged: 50 hours one week and 30 the next still means 10 overtime hours. Federal law does not require extra pay for weekends, holidays, nights or long single days. Sources: DOL Fact Sheet #23 and 29 CFR 778.104.
Overtime is based on hours actually worked. Under federal rules, paid holidays, vacation and sick time usually do not count toward the 40, although some employers and union contracts count them.
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. Employees on an approved alternative workweek schedule have different daily limits. Source: California Labor Commissioner.
For California, count each day's hours first, then enter the overtime and double time hours here, or enter your punches in the time card calculator with California rules selected.
Shift differentials and bonuses
Overtime is owed at 1.5 times the regular rate, not just the base wage. The regular rate is all pay for the workweek, minus certain exclusions, divided by the hours worked. Shift differentials, such as extra pay for nights, must be included. So must nondiscretionary bonuses: those promised in advance or tied to attendance, production or performance. Truly discretionary bonuses and gifts are left out. Sources: 29 CFR 778.207, 778.208, DOL Fact Sheet #56A and #56C.
When part of the week pays more, the regular rate is a weighted average of all straight-time pay (29 CFR 778.115). Every hour is paid once at straight time, and each hour over 40 adds a premium of half the regular rate.
You earn $20 an hour and work 46 hours in one workweek. Sixteen of those hours are night hours with a $2 an hour differential.
- Base pay
- 46 h × $20 = $920.00
- Night differential
- 16 h × $2 = $32.00
- Straight-time pay
- $920 + $32 = $952.00
- Regular rate
- $952 ÷ 46 h = $20.6957 an hour
- Overtime premium
- 0.5 × $20.6957 × 6 h = $62.09
- Gross pay
- $952.00 + $62.09 = $1,014.09
Paying a flat $30 an overtime hour plus the $32 differential gives $1,012.00, $2.09 short, because it leaves the differential out of the regular rate. A bonus earned in the week is added to straight-time pay the same way. A bonus that covers several weeks is spread back over those weeks (29 CFR 778.209).
Salaried and exempt employees
A salary does not by itself remove the right to overtime. For a nonexempt employee paid a fixed weekly salary, the regular rate is the salary divided by the hours it is meant to cover. A $900 salary for a 40-hour week gives a regular rate of $22.50, so each hour over 40 pays at least $33.75. A fluctuating workweek arrangement uses a different method. Sources: 29 CFR 778.113 and 778.114.
Exempt employees are not owed overtime under federal law. The common exemptions cover executive, administrative and professional employees who meet job duties tests and are paid a salary of at least $684 a week, the federal level in 2026. Job title alone does not decide it, and many states, including California, set higher salary levels. Sources: DOL Fact Sheet #17A and DOL salary levels.
Questions
How do I calculate time and a half?
Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5, then by your overtime hours. At $22 an hour, time and a half is $33, so 6 overtime hours pay $198. Add 40 regular hours at $22 ($880) for a total of $1,078.
Is overtime calculated per week or per pay period?
Per workweek. A biweekly pay period holds two workweeks, each checked against 40 hours on its own, as the biweekly time card calculator does.
Is double time required by law?
Not under federal law. California requires it in the cases above, and some employers and union contracts pay it for holidays or long shifts.
Do I get paid for overtime my employer did not approve?
Under federal rules, work the employer knows or has reason to believe is being done counts as hours worked, even if not requested. An employer can enforce a rule against unapproved overtime, but the hours still count. Source: 29 CFR 785.13.
Is overtime taxed differently?
For tax years 2025 through 2028, a federal income tax deduction covers the FLSA-required premium, the "half" in time and a half, up to $12,500 a year ($25,000 filing jointly), phasing out at higher incomes. This calculator shows gross pay before taxes. Source: IRS.