Overtime Calculator
Calculate your total pay including overtime. Enter hours worked and hourly rate to see regular pay, overtime pay, and effective hourly rate — with federal and state OT law reference.
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Enter your values above to see the results.
Tips & Notes
- ✓US federal overtime is calculated per workweek (Sunday–Saturday or any fixed 7-day period), not per pay period. You cannot average two weeks — 50 hours one week and 30 the next requires OT pay for the first week.
- ✓California requires daily overtime at 1.5× for hours over 8 in a single day, and double-time (2×) for hours over 12 in a day. A 10-hour California shift at $20/hr = 8×$20 + 2×$30 = $220, not 10×$20 = $200.
- ✓Overtime is calculated on the regular rate, which includes non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials — not just the base hourly wage. If you earned a $50 production bonus in a 50-hour week, the regular rate = ($720 + $50) ÷ 50 = $15.40, and OT is based on $15.40, not just $18.
- ✓Salaried employees are not automatically exempt from overtime. The FLSA exemption requires both a minimum salary ($684/week in 2024) AND a qualifying duties test. Misclassified employees can claim back pay up to 2 years (3 years for willful violations).
- ✓Keep your own time records even when your employer tracks hours. In overtime disputes, the burden of proof for hours worked often shifts to the employer if employee records are disputed — having personal records significantly strengthens any wage claim.
Common Mistakes
- ✗Calculating overtime on a biweekly basis instead of weekly — federal law requires overtime for any single workweek over 40 hours, even if the biweekly total averages out to 40. A 50-hour week followed by a 30-hour week still owes OT for the first week.
- ✗Assuming salaried employees are exempt from overtime — salary alone does not create exemption. The employee must also perform qualifying executive, administrative, or professional duties AND earn above the salary threshold.
- ✗Forgetting to include all compensation in the regular rate for OT purposes — production bonuses, attendance bonuses, and shift differentials are part of the regular rate that determines the OT calculation base.
- ✗Using the wrong multiplier for California daily overtime — hours 8–12 in a day are at 1.5×, and hours beyond 12 in a single day are at 2× (double-time). Using 1.5× for all California OT underpays employees who work very long days.
- ✗Not tracking which 7-day period defines the workweek for OT purposes — employers must designate a fixed workweek. If the workweek is Wednesday–Tuesday, Tuesday late-night hours may be in a different workweek than Wednesday morning hours for OT calculation.
Overtime Calculator Overview
An overtime calculator determines your total pay for a work week or pay period, accounting for regular hours at the base rate and overtime hours at the legally required or contractually agreed premium rate. In the United States, federal law (FLSA) requires overtime pay of at least 1.5× the regular rate for all hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek — but state laws, union contracts, and employer policies may impose stricter requirements.
Standard overtime pay calculation:
Total Pay = (Regular Hours × Hourly Rate) + (Overtime Hours × Hourly Rate × OT Multiplier)
EX: 47 hours worked at $18/hour, standard 1.5× OT rate → Regular: 40 × $18 = $720 → OT: 7 × $18 × 1.5 = $189 → Total: $720 + $189 = $909Overtime laws and thresholds by jurisdiction:
| Jurisdiction | OT Threshold | OT Rate | Daily OT Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal (FLSA) | 40 hrs/week | 1.5× | No daily OT requirement |
| California | 40 hrs/week + 8 hrs/day | 1.5× (daily), 2× over 12 hrs/day | Yes — 8 hrs/day triggers 1.5× |
| Alaska | 40 hrs/week + 8 hrs/day | 1.5× | Yes — 8 hrs/day triggers OT |
| Nevada | 40 hrs/week + 8 hrs/day | 1.5× | Yes — if under $14.25/hr (2024) |
| Canada (Federal) | 8 hrs/day or 40 hrs/week | 1.5× | Yes — daily or weekly, whichever applies first |
| UK | No statutory minimum OT rate | Contractual | Working Time Regulations cap total hours |
| EU (Working Time Directive) | 48 hrs/week average | Contractual | 11 hours rest required between shifts |
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay | Overtime Pay | Total Weekly Pay | Effective Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $720.00 | $0.00 | $720.00 | $18.00 |
| 45 hours | $720.00 | $135.00 | $855.00 | $19.00 |
| 50 hours | $720.00 | $270.00 | $990.00 | $19.80 |
| 55 hours | $720.00 | $405.00 | $1,125.00 | $20.45 |
| 60 hours | $720.00 | $540.00 | $1,260.00 | $21.00 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Under US federal law (FLSA), non-exempt employees are entitled to 1.5× their regular rate for all hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. Some states (California, Alaska, Nevada) also require overtime for hours beyond 8 in a single day. You are entitled to overtime regardless of whether your employer authorized it — if the employer knows or should know you are working overtime, it must be paid. Only employees meeting both the salary threshold and duties test are exempt from these requirements.
When an employee works at multiple pay rates in the same workweek, the regular rate for overtime purposes is calculated as total earnings for the week divided by total hours worked (weighted average). Example: 30 hours at $16/hr = $480, plus 15 hours at $20/hr = $300. Total: $780 for 45 hours. Regular rate = $780 ÷ 45 = $17.33. OT premium = 0.5 × $17.33 × 5 OT hours = $43.33 extra. Total pay = $780 + $43.33 = $823.33.
It depends on whether the employee is exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA. Exempt status requires: (1) earning at least $684/week ($35,568 annually) as of 2024, AND (2) performing executive, administrative, professional, computer, or outside sales duties as defined by the FLSA. If either test fails, the salaried worker is non-exempt and entitled to overtime. The DOL has proposed raising the salary threshold further — check current regulations for the most recent figure.
Double-time (2× regular rate) is a premium overtime rate that applies in specific situations. California requires double-time for hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday and for all hours worked on the 7th consecutive day of a workweek. Some union contracts and employer policies provide double-time for holiday work or other premium situations. Federal law (FLSA) does not require double-time — it is a state law or contractual provision, not a federal minimum requirement.
The FLSA allows employers to designate any fixed 7-consecutive-day period as the workweek (not necessarily Monday–Sunday). For a Wednesday–Tuesday workweek: count all hours from midnight Wednesday through midnight Tuesday. Total over 40 = overtime. The schedule does not matter — only the total hours in the designated 7-day period determines OT eligibility. Employers cannot change the workweek definition to avoid OT liability for a specific week where high hours were worked.
Private sector non-exempt employees must receive cash overtime pay under the FLSA — employers cannot substitute compensatory time off (comp time) for overtime pay in most private employment situations. Comp time in lieu of cash OT is permitted for state and local government employers under specific conditions. Some private employers offer additional comp time voluntarily (above and beyond the required OT cash payment), but they cannot legally replace the OT cash payment with comp time for non-exempt employees.