Overtime Pay Calculator

How it works

Overtime hours are paid at a higher rate, usually time and a half. Total weekly pay is regular hours at your normal rate plus overtime hours at the boosted rate:

With the defaults, 40 hours at $25 is $1,000, and 10 overtime hours at $37.50 add $375, for $1,375 that week. Overtime is worth noticeably more per hour, which is why a few extra hours can lift a paycheck sharply.

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A worked example: $25 an hour with 10 hours of overtime

Picture a week where you clock 40 regular hours at $25 an hour, then pick up 10 more on overtime. Your base 40 pays $1,000, but the extra hours are where the check gets interesting.

At time and a half, your overtime rate jumps to $37.50/hr. Those 10 hours add $375 on top, so your weekly total comes to $1,375 instead of the flat $1,000 you would earn without them. Overtime is doing real work in that paycheck.

The multiplier is the lever. Time and a half lands you at $1,375/week, but if your employer pays double time those same 10 hours push you to $1,500/week, a difference of $125 for the identical shift. Plug in your rate and hours to see your own overtime.

Know your overtime rules

In many places, non-exempt employees must be paid at least time and a half for hours worked beyond 40 in a week, and some states add daily overtime rules. Salaried exempt workers often do not qualify. Check which category you fall into, because it decides whether those extra hours come with a premium or not.

What counts toward the 40 hours

Overtime usually turns on hours worked in a week, so it matters which hours actually count toward the threshold. Getting this wrong is a common way people over or under estimate what a heavy week will pay.

• Hours worked count. The time you are actually on the job is what pushes you toward and past the overtime line for the week.
• Paid leave usually does not. Vacation, holiday, and sick hours are commonly excluded from the overtime tally, since the rule is generally about time worked, not time paid. A week with a paid holiday can leave you short of the threshold even if the check looks full.
• The workweek is fixed. Employers set a recurring seven-day week for this purpose, and hours are counted inside it. Shifting hours between weeks can change whether overtime is owed.
• Off-the-clock work counts too. Time spent on required tasks before or after a shift is generally worked time, and it can tip a borderline week over the overtime line.

The regular rate overtime is built on

Time and a half is one and a half times your regular rate, and the catch is that the regular rate can be more than your base hourly wage. When your pay includes certain extras, they fold into the rate before the multiplier is applied.

• Shift differentials. A regular premium for evenings or nights is generally part of the regular rate, so overtime worked on those shifts is figured on the higher number.
• Nondiscretionary bonuses. Bonuses promised for hitting targets or showing up are often rolled into the regular rate, which can nudge overtime pay up beyond the plain hourly figure.
• Not everything counts. Truly discretionary gifts and some other payments may be left out. The exact treatment has rules, so a big or unusual bonus is worth checking.
• Commission can matter. Regular commission is often part of the rate as well, which is why two people on the same base wage can end up with different overtime rates.

A worked example

Say you earn $22 an hour and work 48 hours in a week. The first 40 hours pay $880 at your regular rate. The 8 overtime hours pay time and a half, which is $33 an hour, for another $264.

The week totals $1,144 of gross pay.

Notice how much those last 8 hours pull their weight: they are a fifth of the hours but bring in nearly a quarter of the check, because each one is worth 50 percent more. That is the real lesson of overtime. A modest number of extra hours lifts a paycheck out of proportion to their count, which is why a few busy weeks can carry a slow one.

It also cuts the other way, since a week padded with paid holiday hours may not reach 40 worked hours at all, leaving nothing at the overtime rate even though you were paid for a full week.

Weekly overtime versus daily overtime

Most overtime is figured by the week, but some places add a daily rule, and the two can give different answers for the same hours. It pays to know which clock your employer runs on.

• The weekly rule. The common standard pays overtime once hours worked pass 40 in a week, no matter how they are spread across the days.
• The daily rule. Some states require overtime after a set number of hours in a single day, so a long shift can earn overtime even in a week under 40 hours.
• They can overlap. Where both apply, you generally get whichever produces more, not both stacked on the same hours. Your state’s rules and your employer’s policy settle the details.
• Know your state. Federal law sets the weekly floor, but a state can add daily rules on top, so where you work decides which clock counts.