Add overtime hours at time-and-a-half (or any multiplier) to find total gross pay for the period.
How the Overtime Pay Calculator works
This calculator finds your gross overtime pay using the formula Gross = (regular hours x rate) + (overtime hours x rate x multiplier), where the multiplier is 1.5 for federal time-and-a-half. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt workers earn at least 1.5x their regular rate for every hour worked beyond 40 in a single workweek.Each variable is defined as follows:
- Regular hours - hours worked at straight time, normally the first 40 in a workweek.
- Rate - your regular rate of pay, not always your base wage (see the tips below).
- Overtime hours - hours beyond the threshold (40/week federally, or beyond 8/day in some states).
- Multiplier - 1.5 for standard overtime, 2.0 for double-time.
Here is what the tool does internally, step by step:
- Splits total hours into regular and overtime buckets at the 40-hour threshold (or your custom daily/weekly threshold).
- Multiplies regular hours by the rate to get straight-time pay.
- Computes the regular rate. If you add a nondiscretionary bonus, it divides total straight-time earnings plus the bonus by total hours worked, because the FLSA requires those bonuses to be folded into the rate.
- Multiplies overtime hours by the rate and the multiplier to get the overtime premium.
- Adds double-time pay separately if you enter double-time hours at 2.0x.
- Sums everything into gross overtime pay (before taxes).
Edge cases it handles: a nondiscretionary bonus that raises the regular rate; double-time hours at 2.0x; multiple pay rates that produce a blended rate; and weeks where you work fewer than 40 hours, in which case no federal overtime applies and the multiplier is ignored. The result is gross pay only - payroll taxes and withholding are separate, which you can estimate with the take-home pay calculator.
]]>Example calculation
Three workers with different setups show how the multiplier, the regular rate, and state rules each change the math.Example 1 - Standard federal time-and-a-half. Maria earns $22.00/hour and works 48 hours in one week (40 regular + 8 overtime). Her overtime rate is $22.00 x 1.5 = $33.00/hour. Regular pay is 40 x $22.00 = $880.00. Overtime pay is 8 x $33.00 = $264.00. Gross pay = $880.00 + $264.00 = $1,144.00.
Example 2 - Regular rate with a nondiscretionary bonus. James earns $18.00/hour base, works 45 hours, and gets a $50.00 production bonus that week. The bonus must be included in his regular rate. Straight-time earnings = 45 x $18.00 = $810.00. Regular rate = ($810.00 + $50.00) / 45 = $19.1111/hour. Because straight time on all 45 hours is already counted, he is owed an extra half-time premium on the 5 overtime hours: 0.5 x $19.1111 x 5 = $47.78. Gross pay = $810.00 + $50.00 + $47.78 = $907.78. Skipping the bonus would have shortchanged him.
Example 3 - California daily overtime and double-time. Wei earns $25.00/hour and works a single 14-hour shift in California. The first 8 hours are regular: 8 x $25.00 = $200.00. Hours 9-12 (4 hours) pay 1.5x: 4 x $25.00 x 1.5 = $150.00. Hours 13-14 (2 hours) pay double-time at 2.0x: 2 x $25.00 x 2 = $100.00. Day gross = $450.00.
| Scenario | Rate | Hours | OT/DT rule | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal time-and-a-half | $22.00 | 48/week | 8 hrs at 1.5x | $1,144.00 |
| Regular rate with bonus | $18.00 + $50 bonus | 45/week | 5 hrs, blended rate | $907.78 |
| California 14-hour day | $25.00 | 14/day | 4 hrs 1.5x + 2 hrs 2x | $450.00 |
Notice that the federal worker hit overtime only after 40 weekly hours, while the California worker triggered both overtime and double-time within a single day - the same wage, very different rules.
]]>Tips for using the Overtime Pay Calculator
- Confirm your status first: only non-exempt employees legally earn overtime. Being paid a salary does not automatically make you exempt - the FLSA exemption also requires a qualifying job duty and a minimum salary level. Misclassified salaried workers are often owed back overtime.
- Use your regular rate of pay, not just your base wage. Nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and most commissions must be folded in, which raises your overtime rate above 1.5x base.
- Discretionary bonuses (a surprise holiday gift with no formula or promise) are excluded from the regular rate, so do not add those to the rate field.
- Overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period. A fixed seven-day window - say Sunday to Saturday - controls; you cannot average a 30-hour week with a 50-hour week to dodge overtime.
- If you work in California, Alaska, Nevada, Colorado, or a few other states, check daily overtime. California pays 1.5x past 8 hours in a day and 2x past 12, plus double-time rules on the 7th consecutive workday - so you can earn overtime even in a week under 40 hours.
- A 4x10 schedule (four 10-hour days) is 40 hours with zero federal overtime, but in California those same days produce 8 overtime hours per week - a meaningful pay difference for identical total hours.
- For two different pay rates in one week, the FLSA uses a blended (weighted-average) regular rate for the overtime premium, not the higher rate. Enter total straight-time earnings divided by total hours worked.
- Salaried non-exempt workers find the regular rate by dividing the weekly salary by the hours it is meant to cover (often 40), then apply 1.5x to that figure for each overtime hour.
- Comp time instead of overtime pay is generally illegal for private-sector employers; banking unpaid hours for time off later usually violates the FLSA for covered employees.
- Overtime pay is fully taxable and can push that one paycheck into a higher withholding tier for that period, so your take-home rate on overtime dollars may feel lower than expected - model it with the take-home pay calculator before counting on the cash.
Exempt vs non-exempt: who legally gets overtime
Non-exempt employees must receive overtime; exempt employees are not entitled to it - and your salary alone does not decide which you are. Under the FLSA, an employee is exempt only if they clear three tests: paid on a salary basis, paid at least the federal salary threshold, and performing qualifying executive, administrative, professional, outside-sales, or certain computer duties. Fail any test and you are non-exempt, regardless of a fancy title.
| Non-exempt | Exempt | |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime eligible | Yes, 1.5x past 40/week | No |
| Typical pay | Hourly or salaried | Salary basis |
| Time tracking | Employer must track hours | Often untracked |
| Duties test | Not required | Must meet duties test |
The common myth is that salaried means no overtime. Many salaried workers are actually non-exempt and owed time-and-a-half. If you are hourly, you are almost always non-exempt. To turn an annual salary into an hourly figure for these checks, use the salary-to-hourly calculator.
Common mistakes that cost workers money
The biggest overtime errors are using base wage instead of the regular rate, averaging hours across weeks, and assuming a salary blocks overtime.
- Forgetting the bonus. A $50.00 nondiscretionary bonus on a 45-hour week raises the regular rate from $18.00 to $19.11, increasing what you are owed. Leaving it out underpays the overtime premium.
- Averaging two weeks. Overtime is per workweek. A 50-hour week followed by a 30-hour week still owes 10 hours of overtime in week one - you cannot net it to a 40-hour average.
- Counting paid leave as hours worked. Holiday, vacation, and sick pay generally do not count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold; only hours actually worked do.
- Trusting the wrong multiplier. Double-time (2.0x) is mostly a state or contract rule, not a federal one - do not assume 2x past a certain point unless your state or union contract requires it.
- Ignoring daily overtime in your state. A worker in a daily-overtime state can earn overtime in a sub-40-hour week, so checking only the weekly total can undercount your pay.
How to calculate overtime by hand or in Excel
In a spreadsheet, gross overtime pay is built from a regular-hours formula plus an overtime formula, using MIN/MAX to split the hours at 40. Put the rate in cell B1 and total hours worked in B2.
- Regular hours: =MIN(B2,40)
- Overtime hours: =MAX(B2-40,0)
- Regular pay: =MIN(B2,40)*B1
- Overtime pay: =MAX(B2-40,0)*B1*1.5
- Gross pay: =MIN(B2,40)*B1 + MAX(B2-40,0)*B1*1.5
For a regular rate that includes a bonus (bonus in B3), the rate is =(B2*B1 + B3)/B2, and the overtime premium is =0.5*((B2*B1+B3)/B2)*MAX(B2-40,0), added on top of straight-time earnings. For California daily overtime with daily hours in cell D1, nest the thresholds: =MIN(D1,8)*B1 + MIN(MAX(D1-8,0),4)*B1*1.5 + MAX(D1-12,0)*B1*2. By hand, the shortcut is: overtime hourly rate = rate x 1.5, then multiply by overtime hours and add to regular pay.
Is your overtime amount reasonable? Benchmarks
A useful sanity check: every overtime hour at standard time-and-a-half should pay exactly 1.5 times your regular hourly rate, so your effective wage rises the more overtime you work.
| Regular rate | Overtime rate (1.5x) | Double-time (2x) |
|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $30.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $50.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $60.00 |
Quick benchmarks: a 48-hour week (8 overtime hours) adds exactly 30% to a 40-hour paycheck before tax, because the 8 premium hours pay 1.5x (52 hours of pay packed into 40 hours of straight time). If your stub shows overtime hours paid at exactly 1.0x your base, that is a red flag - you are likely being paid straight time and shorted the premium. If overtime appears to push your hourly rate above 1.5x base, it usually means a bonus correctly raised your regular rate. To see how the extra gross translates after withholding, run it through the take-home pay calculator.
Blended rates for multiple pay rates
When you work the same week at two or more pay rates, the FLSA computes overtime on a blended (weighted-average) regular rate, not on the higher rate. Say you work 20 hours at $15.00 and 25 hours at $20.00 - 45 hours total. Straight-time earnings = (20 x $15.00) + (25 x $20.00) = $800.00. Blended regular rate = $800.00 / 45 = $17.7778/hour. The overtime premium on the 5 overtime hours is the extra half-time: 0.5 x $17.7778 x 5 = $44.44. Gross = $800.00 + $44.44 = $844.44. Some employers and union contracts instead use the rate in effect when the overtime hours were actually worked, which the FLSA also permits by agreement. Either way, you cannot simply apply 1.5x to your highest rate and ignore the lower-paid hours.
State rules: daily overtime and double-time
Federal law sets a floor of 1.5x past 40 weekly hours, but several states add daily overtime and double-time that can pay more. California is the strictest: 1.5x past 8 hours in a day, 2x past 12 hours in a day, 1.5x for the first 8 hours on the 7th consecutive workday, and 2x beyond that. Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado have their own daily-overtime triggers. When state and federal rules differ, the employee gets whichever is more generous.
This matters for schedules. Four 10-hour days total 40 hours - no federal overtime - but in California each day has 2 overtime hours, producing 8 overtime hours a week. At $20.00/hour that is an extra $80.00 of premium (8 x $20.00 x 0.5) that the federal calculation would miss. Always select your state's rule, not just the federal default, when your hours cluster into long days. To line up what different annual pay levels mean hourly across job offers, the hourly-to-salary calculator helps you compare them.
Advanced uses: forecasting overtime-heavy income
Beyond a single paycheck, this calculator lets you forecast overtime gross across many weeks and compare jobs where the overtime multiplier is a real part of the package. If a role advertises mandatory or frequent overtime, model a typical 50- or 55-hour week to see your true expected gross at 1.5x, then annualize it - but do not assume every week hits the same hours. For shift workers, run a best-case and worst-case week so your budget rests on the lower premium, not the high one.
The multiplier also changes how you compare offers. A higher base with little overtime can out-earn a lower base with heavy overtime once the premium hours are taxed and burnout is factored in, so convert each offer's likely weekly hours into overtime gross before deciding. Because the after-tax value of overtime dollars is what actually funds a goal, pair this tool with the savings goal calculator to see how the net premium accelerates a target. The full federal overtime rules are published by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Overtime pay quick-reference: rate x hours at 1.5x and 2x
This table shows gross overtime pay (the overtime hours only, not your regular 40) at common hourly rates. The first three columns use the federal time-and-a-half rate of 1.5x for hours over 40 in a workweek. The last column shows 8 hours of double-time at 2x, which applies only under state rules like California's or a contract - federal law does not require it. Every figure is overtime pay before taxes; overtime is taxed as ordinary income. Remember that if you receive a nondiscretionary bonus or shift differential, your true regular rate is higher than your base wage, so these are floors.
| Regular rate | 5 OT hrs (1.5x) | 8 OT hrs (1.5x) | 12 OT hrs (1.5x) | 8 hrs double-time (2x) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $18.00 | $135.00 | $216.00 | $324.00 | $288.00 |
| $22.00 | $165.00 | $264.00 | $396.00 | $352.00 |
| $28.00 | $210.00 | $336.00 | $504.00 | $448.00 |
| $35.00 | $262.50 | $420.00 | $630.00 | $560.00 |
Formula: overtime pay = overtime hours x regular rate x multiplier. To add it to your full weekly check, include 40 x regular rate first, then run your real numbers in the overtime pay calculator above.
Related on this site
Take-Home Pay Calculator · Salary-to-Hourly Calculator · Hourly-to-Salary Calculator · Pay Raise Calculator · Savings Goal Calculator · Salary-to-Hourly Conversion Guide
For a related deep dive, see U.S. DOL overtime pay rules.
Overtime Pay Calculator — frequently asked questions
- What is time-and-a-half?
- 1.5× the regular rate, the common US overtime rate beyond 40 hours/week for non-exempt workers.
- Double time?
- Set the multiplier to 2.0 for double-time hours.
- What is time-and-a-half?
- 1.5× your regular hourly rate for qualifying overtime hours.
- Is overtime taxed more?
- No — it's taxed as ordinary income; a bigger check can just shift withholding.
- How much overtime pay do I get for working 50 hours at $28 an hour?
- You earn $1,540.00 in gross pay for that week. Under the FLSA, hours 1-40 are regular and hours 41-50 are overtime at time-and-a-half. Regular pay is 40 x $28.00 = $1,120.00. Overtime pay is 10 hours x $28.00 x 1.5 = $420.00. Add them: $1,120.00 + $420.00 = $1,540.00 before taxes. Run your own hours in the <a href="/overtime-pay-calculator/">overtime pay calculator</a>.
- Does my regular rate of pay have to include a nondiscretionary bonus before calculating overtime?
- Yes - nondiscretionary bonuses (production, attendance, safety, or promised incentive pay) must be folded into the regular rate before applying the 1.5x multiplier. Example: 45 hours at $20.00 plus a $100 production bonus. Straight-time earnings are 45 x $20.00 + $100 = $1,000.00, so the regular rate is $1,000.00 / 45 = $22.22. You owe an extra half-time premium on 5 overtime hours: 0.5 x $22.22 x 5 = $55.56. Excluding the bonus underpays you.
- How do I calculate overtime when I work two different pay rates for the same employer in one week?
- Use a blended (weighted-average) regular rate, not the rate of the hours that ran over 40. Example: 30 hours at $15.00 ($450.00) plus 20 hours at $25.00 ($500.00) totals $950.00 for 50 hours, so the blended rate is $950.00 / 50 = $19.00. You owe a half-time premium on 10 overtime hours: 0.5 x $19.00 x 10 = $95.00. Total gross is $950.00 + $95.00 = $1,045.00.
- Who legally gets overtime - what is the difference between exempt and non-exempt?
- Non-exempt employees must get overtime; exempt employees generally do not. To be exempt under the FLSA, a worker usually must be paid a salary at or above $684 per week ($35,568 per year) and perform exempt executive, administrative, or professional duties. Job title alone never decides it. Most hourly workers are non-exempt and earn 1.5x past 40 hours. Salaried does not automatically mean exempt - a misclassified salaried worker may still be owed overtime.
- How does California daily overtime and double-time work for a 12-hour shift at $20 an hour?
- California pays daily overtime, so a single 12-hour day at $20.00 earns $280.00. The first 8 hours are regular: 8 x $20.00 = $160.00. Hours 9-12 (4 hours) are time-and-a-half: 4 x $20.00 x 1.5 = $120.00. Total is $160.00 + $120.00 = $280.00. Beyond 12 hours in a day, California requires double-time at 2x. Most states only follow the federal 40-hour weekly rule with no daily overtime.
- When do I get double-time pay and how much is it on $30 an hour?
- Double-time (2x your rate) is not required by federal law - it is set by state rules like California's or by your contract; on $30.00 an hour, 4 double-time hours pay 4 x $30.00 x 2 = $240.00. Federal FLSA only mandates time-and-a-half (1.5x) past 40 hours per week. California requires 2x beyond 12 hours in a day and beyond 8 hours on a seventh consecutive workday. Always confirm your state rule before assuming double-time applies.
- What is the Excel formula to calculate weekly gross pay with overtime?
- Use =(40*rate)+(OT_hours*rate*1.5) for standard time-and-a-half. With the rate in cell A1 and overtime hours in B1, type =(40*A1)+(B1*A1*1.5). For $26.50 an hour with 9 overtime hours: =(40*26.5)+(9*26.5*1.5) returns $1,417.75 ($1,060.00 regular + $357.75 overtime). For double-time hours in C1, extend it to =(40*A1)+(B1*A1*1.5)+(C1*A1*2). Always verify the cell holds your true regular rate, including bonuses.
- How is overtime figured for a salaried non-exempt worker paid $800 a week?
- Convert the salary to an hourly regular rate, then add the overtime premium. If $800 covers a 40-hour week, the regular rate is $800 / 40 = $20.00. Working 48 hours, the 8 overtime hours pay 8 x $20.00 x 1.5 = $240.00, so gross is $800.00 + $240.00 = $1,040.00. Salaried status does not waive overtime - only true exempt classification does. Salaried non-exempt employees are still owed time-and-a-half past 40 hours.
- How much extra per year is 5 hours of overtime a week at $30 an hour?
- Five overtime hours weekly at $30.00 adds $11,700.00 of overtime pay per year, of which $3,900.00 is the premium above straight time. Each week pays 5 x $30.00 x 1.5 = $225.00 in overtime; across 52 weeks that is $11,700.00. The half-time premium portion alone (5 x $30.00 x 0.5 x 52) is $3,900.00 above what those hours would earn at the regular rate. Overtime is taxed as ordinary income, so withholding may rise.
- Must shift differentials and night-pay be included in my overtime rate?
- Yes - shift differentials are part of your regular rate and raise your overtime pay. If your base is $18.00 and you get a $1.50 night differential, your regular rate for those hours is $19.50. Working 45 hours, regular pay is 40 x $19.50 = $780.00 and overtime is 5 x $19.50 x 1.5 = $146.25, for $926.25 gross. Calculating overtime on the $18.00 base alone shortchanges you by ignoring the differential the FLSA requires in the rate.
- How many overtime hours do I need to earn an extra $1,000 at $25 an hour?
- You need about 26.7 overtime hours at $25.00 time-and-a-half to reach $1,000.00 in overtime pay. Each overtime hour pays $25.00 x 1.5 = $37.50, so $1,000.00 / $37.50 = 26.67 hours. At a typical extra 8 hours a week, that is roughly three-and-a-third weeks of overtime. Remember this is gross; ordinary income tax and FICA still apply, so your take-home increase is smaller. Estimate net with the <a href="/take-home-pay-calculator/">take-home pay calculator</a>.
- Can my employer give me comp time instead of overtime pay?
- No - private-sector employers generally cannot substitute paid time off (comp time) for cash overtime; non-exempt workers must be paid in money. So 6 overtime hours at $32.00 must be paid as 6 x $32.00 x 1.5 = $288.00, not banked as future hours off. Only public-sector (government) employers may offer comp time, and it accrues at 1.5 hours per overtime hour. Banking straight-hour-for-hour time off in place of overtime cash violates the FLSA for covered private employees.
- How does overtime work for a tipped employee at the federal minimum wage?
- A tipped worker's overtime is based on the full minimum wage, not the lower cash wage. At the $7.25 federal minimum, the overtime rate is $7.25 x 1.5 = $10.875 per hour. The employer can still take the maximum $5.12 tip credit, so the cash owed per overtime hour is $10.875 - $5.12 = $5.755. Calculating overtime on the $2.13 tipped cash wage instead of the full minimum wage is a common and illegal underpayment. State tipped rules can be more generous.
- Is working 8 hours of overtime a week at $22 an hour worth it?
- Eight overtime hours weekly at $22.00 add $264.00 per week, or roughly $1,144 a month in gross pay - meaningful, but judge it after tax and time cost. The math is 8 x $22.00 x 1.5 = $264.00 weekly. Over a year that is about $13,728 gross. Because overtime is taxed as ordinary income, your net gain is smaller, and you are trading personal hours. It is worth it if the after-tax dollars beat what your time off is worth to you.
- Does overtime get calculated per day or per workweek under federal law?
- Federal FLSA overtime is figured per workweek (a fixed, recurring 168-hour period), not per day - only hours over 40 in that week count. So four 11-hour days (44 hours) trigger 4 overtime hours, but a single 11-hour day in an otherwise 38-hour week triggers none. At $24.00 an hour, those 4 weekly overtime hours pay 4 x $24.00 x 1.5 = $144.00. A few states, like California, add separate daily overtime rules on top of the federal weekly standard.
Guides & articles
- The 'regular rate of pay': why a bonus must increase your overtime
- Is overtime taxed more? How much of time-and-a-half you keep
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