Overtime Calculator

If you earn $25 an hour and work 10 hours of overtime on top of a normal 40-hour week, those extra hours are not paid at $25 - under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act they are usually paid at time and a half, or $37.50 an hour. That turns $250 of straight-time pay into $375, and pushes your total weekly gross pay from $1,000 to $1,375. This overtime calculator does that math for you and shows exactly where the extra money comes from, so you can check your paycheck or plan a week of long shifts with confidence.

How overtime pay is calculated

The core formula is short. Overtime pay is your overtime hours multiplied by your hourly rate multiplied by the overtime multiplier, and total pay simply adds your regular pay on top:

The multiplier defaults to 1.5 (time and a half), the FLSA minimum for hours over 40 in a workweek. Set it to 2.0 for double time, or to any value your contract specifies. Everything in this tool is computed on your gross hourly rate, before taxes and deductions.

What counts as overtime under the FLSA

Federal law is built around the workweek, not the day. A workweek is a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours - seven consecutive 24-hour periods - and it does not have to start on Monday or align with the calendar week. Under the FLSA, a covered, non-exempt employee must receive at least 1.5× their regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in that workweek. Federal law does not require extra pay for working weekends, nights, or holidays by themselves, and it does not require daily overtime. Hours from two different workweeks cannot be averaged together to avoid overtime.

Several states go further than the federal floor. California, for example, requires overtime after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12, while Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, and others have their own daily or weekly rules. Where state law is more generous, the state rule applies. If your state has daily overtime, enter the hours that qualify as overtime into the calculator's overtime field.

Overtime for salaried, non-exempt employees

A common myth is that a salary cancels overtime. It does not. Many salaried workers are still non-exempt and owe overtime - exemption depends on meeting both a salary threshold and a duties test, not on how you are paid. To use this calculator, first convert the salary to an hourly regular rate. If a fixed salary is meant to cover a standard 40-hour week, divide the weekly salary by 40. For instance, a $1,000 weekly salary maps to a $25/hour regular rate, and hours over 40 then earn $37.50 each. Under the alternative fluctuating workweek method, the regular rate is the salary divided by all hours actually worked that week, and overtime adds only the extra half-time premium - a different and lower result. Because the method matters, confirm which one your employer uses, compute the hourly regular rate, and enter that here.

Comp time vs. overtime pay

Some workers are offered compensatory time off ("comp time") instead of cash overtime - paid time off banked at 1.5 hours for each overtime hour. Under the FLSA, comp time in place of cash is generally limited to public-sector (government) employees; most private-sector non-exempt employees must be paid overtime in cash, not swapped for future time off, in the workweek the hours were worked. If your private employer offers comp time instead of an overtime check, that is usually a red flag worth questioning. This calculator always shows the cash value of the hours, which is the figure your paycheck should reflect.

When and how overtime is paid out

Overtime is owed on the regular payday for the pay period in which the hours were worked. If your pay period spans two workweeks (a common biweekly setup), overtime is still calculated separately for each workweek inside that period - never by dividing the total hours in half. So a biweekly check covering a 48-hour week and a 36-hour week owes 8 hours of overtime from the first week and zero from the second, even though the two-week total is only 84 hours. Reconstruct each workweek on its own when you check a paycheck, and run each week through the calculator independently.

How to use this calculator

1. Regular hours: enter the hours paid at your normal rate - typically up to 40 for the week.
2. Overtime hours: enter the hours that qualify for the overtime premium (usually everything over 40).
3. Hourly rate: enter your regular rate of pay. For the most accurate result, include non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, or commissions if your pay has them.
4. Overtime multiplier: leave it at 1.5 for time and a half, tap the button for 2.0 (double time), or type a custom value.

Press Calculate pay and read the big number at the top: your total gross pay for the period. Below it you will see the split between regular and overtime pay, your overtime rate, your blended hourly rate, and the overtime premium - the extra dollars you earn purely because of the higher overtime rate.

Worked example 1: a standard week of overtime

You work 40 regular hours and 8 hours of overtime at $22/hour, paid at time and a half. Regular pay is 40 × $22 = $880. Your overtime rate is $22 × 1.5 = $33, so overtime pay is 8 × $33 = $264. Total gross pay for the week is $1,144. Of that $264 in overtime, $176 would have been earned at straight time, so the overtime premium - the bonus from the 0.5× bump - is $88.

Worked example 2: double time on a holiday

Suppose your employer pays double time for holiday hours. You work 32 regular hours and 8 holiday hours at $30/hour with a 2.0× multiplier. Regular pay is 32 × $30 = $960. The double-time rate is $60, so holiday pay is 8 × $60 = $480. Total gross is $1,440. Notice that 8 double-time hours pay the same as 16 regular hours - which is exactly why employers usually reserve double time for special circumstances or union agreements rather than ordinary overtime.

Worked example 3: a partial overtime hour

Overtime is often not a round number. Say you log 40 regular hours and 3.5 overtime hours at $18.50/hour. Regular pay is 40 × $18.50 = $740. The overtime rate is $18.50 × 1.5 = $27.75, so overtime pay is 3.5 × $27.75 = $97.13, for a total of about $837.13. The calculator accepts half-hour and decimal entries so you can match your timesheet exactly.

Worked example 4: a 50-hour week, step by step

Long weeks are where overtime really adds up, so it helps to see the full breakdown. Imagine you earn $28/hour and clock 50 hours in a single workweek, all paid under the standard 1.5× rule. The first 40 hours are straight time: 40 × $28 = $1,120. The remaining 10 hours are overtime, paid at $28 × 1.5 = $42 each, so 10 × $42 = $420. Your total gross pay is $1,540. If every hour had paid straight time you would have earned 50 × $28 = $1,400, so the overtime premium - the genuine bonus from working past 40 - is $140. Your blended rate for the week is $1,540 ÷ 50 = $30.80/hour, which is the single average rate a payroll system would report across all 50 hours.

Daily double time: a mixed-multiplier example

Some states and union contracts layer two premiums into one day. In California, for instance, hours 1-8 are straight time, hours over 8 (up to 12) are time and a half, and hours beyond 12 in a single day are double time. Suppose you work a 14-hour shift at $24/hour. The first 8 hours pay 8 × $24 = $192. Hours 9-12 (four hours) pay 1.5×: 4 × $36 = $144. Hours 13-14 (two hours) pay 2.0×: 2 × $48 = $96. That single day totals $432. Because this calculator applies one multiplier at a time, model a day like this in two passes - run the 1.5× hours, then the 2.0× hours, and add the results - or simply confirm the figure your employer's payroll already produced.

Is overtime worth it? Weighing extra hours

The big number this tool shows is gross, so the honest answer to "is it worth it?" depends on what reaches your bank account and what it costs you in time. A 10-hour overtime week at $25/hour adds $375 gross, but after federal income tax withholding, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) you might keep roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of that, depending on your bracket. Weigh that take-home against childcare, commuting, and rest. The math also changes if those extra hours unlock a higher multiplier - double time on a holiday, or a state daily-overtime rule - which is exactly why it pays to confirm the multiplier before you say yes to a shift. Use the gross figure here as your ceiling, then mentally discount it for taxes to compare offers fairly.

Overtime rate quick-reference table

Here is what common hourly wages become at time and a half (1.5×) and double time (2.0×):

To find the overtime rate for any wage, just multiply by the factor: for time and a half, multiply by 1.5; for double time, multiply by 2.

Who this calculator is for

• Hourly employees verifying that a paycheck correctly applied the overtime premium.
• Shift and seasonal workers deciding whether picking up extra hours is worth it.
• Small-business owners and managers estimating labor costs before scheduling a heavy week.
• Freelancers and contractors setting a rush or after-hours rate based on a time-and-a-half model.
• Anyone budgeting who wants to know the gross value of overtime before taxes are taken out.

Key terms explained

• Regular rate of pay: your hourly earnings before taxes, including most bonuses and commissions - the base the overtime premium is built on.
• Time and a half: 1.5× the regular rate; the FLSA minimum overtime premium.
• Double time: 2.0× the regular rate; not federally required, common in some states and union contracts.
• Workweek: a fixed, recurring 168-hour (7-day) period used to measure the 40-hour overtime threshold.
• Non-exempt vs. exempt: non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime; exempt employees (meeting salary and duties tests) are not.
• Overtime premium: the extra pay above straight time - the 0.5× portion in time and a half.
• Blended rate: total pay divided by total hours; a single average rate across regular and overtime hours.

Tips to make the most of overtime

• Confirm the multiplier in writing. Time and a half is the floor; some roles, holidays, or union shifts pay double time.
• Include eligible bonuses. If you get non-discretionary bonuses or commissions, your regular rate - and therefore your overtime rate - is higher than base pay alone.
• Track hours by workweek. Overtime is measured per workweek; hours cannot be averaged across two weeks to dodge the premium.
• Remember withholding. A big overtime check can temporarily bump your withholding, but it does not raise your annual tax rate.
• Know your state. Daily overtime and double-time rules in states like California can mean more premium pay than the federal minimum.

Limitations and assumptions

This calculator is a planning and verification estimate, not a payroll system or legal opinion. Keep these in mind:

• All figures are gross - taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and other deductions are not subtracted.
• It uses the single hourly rate you enter; it does not automatically blend multiple pay rates or add bonuses to the regular rate for you.
• It applies one multiplier to all overtime hours and does not model tiered rules (for example, 1.5× for hours 8-12 and 2.0× beyond 12 in a single day).
• It does not determine whether you are exempt or non-exempt - that depends on your salary and job duties.
• State and local laws vary; where they are more generous than federal law, they control.

How it compares to related calculators

This page answers one question: "what is my pay for a week that includes overtime?" If your question is slightly different, a sister tool fits better:

• To turn an hourly wage into an annual figure (or convert a salary back to an hourly rate), use the Hourly to Salary Calculator.
• To see how a percentage raise changes your base pay - and therefore your overtime rate - use the Pay Raise Calculator.
• If you run a business and want to price the work you sell, see the Margin, Markup, and Profit Margin calculators.

The relationship between these tools is simple: your base hourly rate feeds your overtime rate here, and the Hourly to Salary Calculator turns whichever number you land on into a yearly figure for budgeting. If a raise is on the table, model the new base rate in the Pay Raise Calculator first, then come back here to see how much more your overtime hours are worth at the higher rate.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Labor - Wage and Hour Division: Overtime Pay.
• U.S. Department of Labor - Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
• U.S. Department of Labor - Overtime Pay: general topic page.