How to use the overtime calculator
- Enter your regular hourly rate.
- Enter the total hours worked in one workweek. Use decimals for partial hours, such as 46.5.
- Open More options to add hours paid at double time (if your employer or state pays them) or a non-discretionary bonus for the week.
- Read regular pay, overtime pay and total gross pay. The steps show each multiplication.
Formula
Overtime hours = hours worked - 40 (if positive)
Regular pay = rate x smaller of hours and 40
Overtime pay = rate x 1.5 x overtime hours
With a bonus: regular rate = (rate x hours + bonus) / hours; extra premium = 0.5 x (bonus / hours) x overtime hours
Double-time hours are paid at rate x 2 and are taken out of the overtime hours
This is the federal Fair Labor Standards Act rule: time and a half the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.
Worked examples
Basic: $24.00 an hour, 46 hours. Regular pay is 40 x $24.00 = $960.00. Overtime is 6 x $36.00 = $216.00. Total: $1,176.00.
With double time: same week, but 2 of the 6 overtime hours are paid at double time. Overtime is 4 x $36.00 = $144.00 and double time is 2 x $48.00 = $96.00. Total: $1,200.00.
With a bonus: $20.00 an hour, 50 hours and a $100 production bonus. Pay at straight time is $1,000 + $100 = $1,100, so the regular rate is $22.00. The 10 overtime hours earn an extra half-time premium of 0.5 x $22.00 x 10 = $110. Total: $1,210.00.
Who gets overtime under federal law
The FLSA requires overtime for non-exempt employees. Many salaried employees are exempt, but a salary alone does not make someone exempt. They must also meet a minimum salary level and perform duties that qualify as executive, administrative or professional work. If you are unsure, check the Department of Labor guidance or ask your state labor agency.
What federal law does not require
Federal law does not require daily overtime, extra pay for weekends or holidays or double time. Some states do. California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, for example, have daily overtime rules. When state and federal rules both apply, the more favorable one for the employee controls.
Checking an overtime paycheck
Look for three lines: regular hours at your base rate, overtime hours at one and a half times and any bonus. If overtime appears at your base rate or the hour count is lower than your records, ask payroll to explain. Keep your time records, because the Department of Labor can recover back wages for up to two years, or three years for willful violations.
Assumptions and limits
- Hours are for one seven-day workweek. Do not average several weeks.
- Federal rules only. State daily overtime and union or contract terms are not calculated.
- Bonuses entered here are treated as non-discretionary and earned during the same workweek.
- Results are gross pay before taxes and deductions.
- Exempt employees are not entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA, and this calculator does not decide who is exempt.
Frequently asked questions
What is time and a half?
It means 1.5 times your regular hourly rate. At $18.00 an hour, time and a half is $27.00 an hour.
Do I get overtime for working over 8 hours in a day?
Not under federal law. The federal threshold is 40 hours in a workweek. A few states, such as California, add daily overtime rules.
How is overtime figured for a two-week pay period?
One workweek at a time. Hours over 40 in either week are overtime. See the timesheet calculator for a two-week view.
Does a holiday or paid time off count toward the 40 hours?
Federal law counts only hours actually worked. Paid time off is not hours worked, though an employer policy can be more generous.