Overtime calculator
Enter an hourly rate and the hours for each day. See regular pay, overtime at time and a half or double time, total pay and the effective hourly rate, with an optional daily limit. Nothing leaves your browser.
Some states count overtime by the day as well as the week. California's rule, for example, is overtime after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12. Check your local law.
| Day | Hours worked | Split |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | - | |
| Tuesday | - | |
| Wednesday | - | |
| Thursday | - | |
| Friday | - | |
| Saturday | - | |
| Sunday | - |
Type 8, 8.5 or 8:30. Leave out unpaid breaks. Only have a weekly total? Put it in Monday and keep the daily limit off.
- Regular 40:00 h $800.00
- Overtime 5:00 h at $30.00 $150.00
- Double time 0:00 h $0.00
- Total hours 45:00
- Effective hourly rate $21.11
How to calculate overtime pay
Overtime pay is only extra money for the hours above a limit. The hours below the limit are paid at the normal rate. The mistake people make most often is applying the higher rate to every hour of the week.
overtime hours = total hours − limit
45 hours in a week with a 40-hour limit gives 5 overtime hours and 40 regular hours.
pay = regular hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × 1.5
40 × $20 + 5 × $20 × 1.5 = $800 + $150 = $950.
With a daily limit, count each day's overtime first, then apply the weekly limit to the regular hours that are left. That way no hour is paid as overtime twice. The calculator above works in this order and shows the split for every day. Enter hours in decimal; if you have hours and minutes, 8:45 is 8.75 (the decimal hours calculator converts any time).
Overtime pay, step by step
Four common weeks: time and a half, a daily limit, double time on a long day, and a contract that pays double for all overtime. Type the same numbers into the calculator to check them.
A 45-hour week, weekly rule only
$20 an hour, 9 hours a day, Monday to Friday. Limit 40 hours a week, overtime at 1.5×.
| Regular | 40 h × $20 | $800.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | 5 h × $30 | $150.00 |
| Total | 45 h | $950.00 |
| Effective rate | $950 ÷ 45 | $21.11 |
Four 10-hour days, with a daily limit
$25 an hour, 10 hours Monday to Thursday. With only the 40-hour weekly rule there is no overtime, and pay is $1,000. With an 8-hour daily limit:
| Regular | 32 h × $25 | $800.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | 8 h × $37.50 | $300.00 |
| Total | 40 h | $1,100.00 |
| Effective rate | $1,100 ÷ 40 | $27.50 |
One long day with double time
$30 an hour, one 14-hour day. Overtime after 8 hours a day, double time after 12:
| Regular | 8 h × $30 | $240.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | 4 h × $45 | $180.00 |
| Double time | 2 h × $60 | $120.00 |
| Total | 14 h | $540.00 |
A 50-hour week paid at double time
$18 an hour, 10 hours a day, Monday to Friday, with a contract that pays all overtime at 2×:
| Regular | 40 h × $18 | $720.00 |
|---|---|---|
| Overtime | 10 h × $36 | $360.00 |
| Total | 50 h | $1,080.00 |
| Effective rate | $1,080 ÷ 50 | $21.60 |
Overtime under the FLSA
In the US, the Fair Labor Standards Act sets the federal overtime rule. This is a plain summary of the Department of Labor overtime page and Fact Sheet #23, not legal advice.
- Over 40 hours in a workweek Unless they are exempt, covered employees must get overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, at no less than one and a half times their regular rate of pay.
- A workweek is fixed It is a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours: seven 24-hour days in a row. It can start on any day and hour, but it does not move around to avoid overtime.
- No averaging across weeks Each workweek stands alone. Hours cannot be averaged over two or more weeks, so a short week does not cancel a long one.
- The regular rate is more than the base rate It includes all pay for employment except certain exclusions, such as discretionary bonuses, gifts and expense reimbursements. Commissions are converted to an hourly figure.
- Overtime cannot be waived An employer and employee cannot agree to skip it. A policy that overtime must be approved first does not remove the right to be paid for overtime actually worked.
- Exempt employees are different Some employees, often in executive, administrative and professional jobs, are exempt. That depends on the job duties and the salary, not on the job title or on being salaried.
Fact Sheet #23 gives this example: a non-exempt employee paid a fixed $405 a week for 45 hours has a regular rate of $405 ÷ 45 = $9.00. The salary already covers all 45 hours at the straight rate, so the 5 overtime hours add half the rate on top: 5 × $4.50 = $22.50. This calculator assumes an hourly rate, so it does not cover this case.
States can add to the federal rule. California, for example, pays time and a half after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12, plus special rules for the seventh day in a row. Outside the US, overtime limits and rates come from national law, regional rules and collective agreements. Check your local law, or ask an employment adviser.
Overtime mistakes that cost money
Some of these overpay and some underpay. Underpaying overtime is the expensive one, because it is owed back.
- Paying 1.5× on every hour Only the hours over the limit get the higher rate. 45 hours at $20 is $950, not 45 × $30 = $1,350.
- Counting the same hour twice With daily and weekly limits, an hour already paid as daily overtime does not count toward the 40 weekly hours again.
- Typing 8:30 as 8.30 Eight and a half hours is 8.5. Entering 8.30 drops 12 minutes from that day and from the overtime that follows.
- Averaging two weeks Under the federal rule, 30 hours plus 50 hours is 10 hours of overtime in week two, not a normal 80-hour pay period.
- Leaving bonuses out of the rate Non-discretionary bonuses and commissions can raise the regular rate, and so the overtime rate.
- Hours nobody wrote down Overtime is paid on hours actually worked. Evening email and weekend fixes count if they are work, and they are the hours most often missing.
Overtime starts with accurate hours
TimoDesk does not calculate overtime pay. It does the part before that: it records the hours people actually work from a desktop timer, so the numbers you put into this calculator or your payroll system are not reconstructed from memory. On the monthly timesheet, the Highlighter marks every day above a limit you set, such as 8 hours, so long days stand out before payroll.
- Desktop timer for Windows, macOS and Linux
- Weekly worklogs and monthly timesheets with PDF export
- Time and activity reports with CSV export
- $1 per user per month, every feature included
About overtime pay
Time and a half, double time, daily and weekly limits, salaried staff and bonuses, in plain words.
How do I calculate overtime pay?
Find the overtime hours, which are the hours over your limit, usually 40 in a week. Multiply them by the hourly rate and by the overtime multiplier, usually 1.5. Add regular hours times the rate. For 45 hours at $20: 40 × $20 + 5 × $30 = $950.
What is time and a half?
Time and a half is 1.5 times the regular hourly rate. At $20 an hour, time and a half is $30 an hour. Under the US federal rule, it is the minimum rate for overtime hours worked by non-exempt employees.
What is double time?
Double time is 2 times the regular hourly rate, so $40 an hour on a $20 rate. US federal law does not require it, but some state laws, union contracts and employer policies do. California, for example, requires it for hours over 12 in a workday.
How many hours do I have to work before overtime starts?
Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states also count hours over a daily limit, and other countries set their own limits. Check the law where you work.
Is overtime calculated daily or weekly?
The US federal rule is weekly: hours over 40 in a fixed workweek. A few states, such as California, add daily overtime on top. This calculator does weekly by default, and you can turn on a daily limit too.
Can overtime be averaged over two weeks?
Not under the US federal rule. The Department of Labor says each workweek stands alone, so 30 hours one week and 50 the next means 10 hours of overtime in the second week, even though the two weeks average 40.
Do salaried employees get overtime?
It depends on whether they are exempt. Being paid a salary does not by itself make someone exempt. In the US, exemption depends on the job duties and the salary level, so salaried non-exempt employees still earn overtime.
Do bonuses change the overtime rate?
They can. In the US, the regular rate used for overtime includes all pay for employment except certain exclusions, such as discretionary bonuses and expense reimbursements. Commissions and many non-discretionary bonuses raise it.
What is the effective hourly rate?
It is total pay divided by total hours worked. For 45 hours paid $950 in total, the effective rate is $950 ÷ 45 = $21.11 an hour. It shows what overtime adds to the average hour.
Does TimoDesk calculate overtime?
No. TimoDesk records the hours people work with a desktop timer and puts them in weekly worklogs and monthly timesheets you can export as PDF. You can enter those hours here, or in your payroll system, to work out overtime pay.
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