How is time and a half calculated?

Multiply your regular hourly rate by 1.5, then multiply by the overtime hours. For $20 per hour and 5 overtime hours, the overtime pay is $20 × 1.5 × 5 = $150.

Double time pays 2× the regular rate. It is most common in California after 12 hours in a workday, and in some union contracts for holidays or seventh consecutive workdays.

Are salaried employees entitled to overtime?

Only non-exempt salaried employees are. Under the FLSA, exempt status depends on salary level, salary basis, and job duties — not job title. If you are paid a salary but do not meet the duties test, you may still be owed overtime.

Does paid time off count toward the 40-hour threshold?

Federal law only requires overtime for hours actually worked. Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours do not count toward the 40-hour weekly threshold unless your employer's policy or a union contract says otherwise.

Overtime & Pay Tools

Estimate regular pay, overtime pay, and totals.

Overtime rules vary by federal law, state law, and employer policy. These tools cover the most common U.S. calculations: time and a half after 40 hours, double time, and salary-to-hourly conversion.

Overtime

Calculate regular pay, overtime pay, and total estimated pay.

Hourly Pay

Calculate gross pay from hourly rate, hours, and overtime.

Salary to Hourly

Convert annual salary into an hourly rate.

Hourly to Salary

Convert an hourly rate into an annual salary estimate.

Gross Pay

Calculate total gross pay from regular, overtime, and bonus.

Net Paycheck

Estimate take-home pay after taxes and deductions.

Time and a Half

Calculate the time and a half rate and overtime pay.

Double Time

Calculate double time rate and total double time pay.

How federal overtime works under the FLSA

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires covered, non-exempt employees to receive at least one and one-half times their regular rate of pay for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek. A workweek is a fixed, recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods. Employers choose when their workweek starts, but once set it cannot be changed to avoid overtime.

Overtime is calculated week by week, not pay period by pay period. Working 50 hours one week and 30 the next still entitles the worker to 10 hours of overtime, even on a biweekly check that totals 80 hours. Averaging the two weeks is not allowed under federal law.

Daily vs weekly overtime

Most states follow the federal weekly rule. California, Alaska, Nevada (under certain conditions), Puerto Rico, and a handful of others also require daily overtime — typically time-and-a-half after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12. When daily and weekly overtime both apply, the employee gets the larger of the two, not both stacked.

Union contracts can add their own triggers: overtime on the sixth consecutive workday, premium pay on holidays, or a higher multiplier for night shifts. Check your collective bargaining agreement before relying on the federal minimum.

Common overtime calculation mistakes

The biggest mistake is forgetting to include non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions in the "regular rate" before multiplying by 1.5. The regular rate is total compensation for the week divided by total hours worked — not just the base hourly rate. Paying overtime on the base rate alone underpays the employee whenever extra pay is in the mix.

The second mistake is comp time. In the private sector under federal law, employers cannot substitute paid time off for overtime pay. Comp time is only legal for some public-sector employees and only under specific rules.

About these calculators

Every tool listed above runs in your browser, uses transparent arithmetic, and is designed to give a quick payroll-time estimate you can sanity check against your timesheet or paycheck. Results are estimates only; final pay depends on your employer's policies, your state's rules, time clock rounding, paid versus unpaid breaks, premium pay, and how your payroll provider applies them.

See the methodology for the exact math behind each tool, and the editorial standards for how content is reviewed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Federal overtime starts after 40 hours in a single workweek at 1.5× the regular hourly rate. Some states (such as California) also require daily overtime after 8 hours and double time after 12 hours. Always confirm your state's rule.

Before you use the result

Our calculators give quick payroll-time and pay estimates. Your final paycheck depends on factors this tool does not see, including employer policy, state and local rules, time clock rounding, paid versus unpaid breaks, premium pay, deductions, and how your payroll provider applies them.

Confirm pay rules with your employer, payroll provider, or HR team.
Overtime, breaks, and rounding rules can change by state.

For how each calculation is built, see our methodology and disclaimer.