How is overtime pay calculated?

Hours over the threshold × your regular rate × the multiplier. US federal law (FLSA) requires at least 1.5× the regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek. Example: $20/hour with 48 hours worked = 40 × $20 + 8 × $30 = $1,040 gross. States can be stricter; the federal rule is the floor, not the ceiling.

Who is exempt from overtime?

Exemption requires both a salary above the federal threshold and qualifying job duties (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, certain computer roles). Job title alone proves nothing — a 'manager' who mostly does the same work as their team may still be owed overtime. Misclassification claims are among the most common wage disputes.

When does double-time apply?

Federal law never requires it — double-time comes from state law or contracts. California is the big one: 2× after 12 hours in a workday, and 2× after 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday. Union agreements and holiday policies also commonly specify 2× for specific shifts.

Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?

No — this is a persistent myth. Overtime dollars are ordinary income taxed at the same brackets. What people notice is higher withholding: a big check makes payroll software annualize that week's pay and withhold as if you always earned that much. The excess comes back at tax filing.

Does my bonus or shift differential change my overtime rate?

Legally yes, if it's nondiscretionary. The FLSA 'regular rate' includes nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions — so a $20/hour worker with a $2/hour night differential should earn OT on $22, not $20. Enter the all-in rate in the calculator to model this correctly.

What if my employer didn't pay overtime I'm owed?

Document hours and pay (paystubs, schedules, time clock records), raise it with payroll/HR first — honest errors happen — and if that fails, file with your state labor department or the US DOL Wage and Hour Division. The FLSA allows recovery of back wages going back 2 years (3 if the violation is willful), often doubled as liquidated damages.

Career & Growth · Free tool

Overtime Calculator

Calculate overtime pay with time-and-a-half, double time, and weekly/daily thresholds. US federal and many state rules.

Updated June 2026

Regular hourly rate ($)Regular hours workedOvertime hoursOvertime multiplierDouble-time hours (optional)Double-time multiplier

Regular pay

$800.00

Overtime pay

$240.00

Double-time pay

$0.00

Total gross

$1,040.00

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What it does

Calculate overtime pay with time-and-a-half, double time, and weekly/daily thresholds. US federal and many state rules. The financial gap between “reasonable rate” and “what you can actually charge” is often 30-50%, with most of it left on the table.

Creator-economy revenue is highly category-dependent: same audience size in finance vs gaming differs 10-20x in earning potential. The gap between “rough estimate” and “defensible number” is exactly where good tooling earns its keep — the math is reproducible, but knowing which inputs matter and what the result means is half the work.

Always benchmark your number against multiple sources: Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, BuiltIn, and 3 personal-network data points. A common pitfall: accepting first-offer salaries without negotiation. Treat the tool’s output as a starting point and validate against authoritative sources for any consequential decision.

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Example input & output

Input

Rate: $20/hour
Regular hours: 40
Overtime: 8 hours at 1.5×

Output

Regular pay: $800
Overtime pay: $240
Total gross: $1,040

The 8 OT hours pay $30/hour instead of $20 — the week's effective average rate rises to $21.67/hour.

How to use it

Enter your regular hourly rate and regular hours worked.
Enter overtime hours and the multiplier (1.5 is the US federal standard).
Add double-time hours if your state or contract has them (California over 12 h/day).
Read regular, overtime, double-time, and total gross pay.

How it works

Three products summed: regular = rate × regular hours, overtime = rate × OT hours × multiplier, double time = rate × DT hours × multiplier. The US federal floor (FLSA) is 1.5× for hours over 40 in a workweek; some states go further — California requires 1.5× after 8 hours in a day and 2× after 12.

Common mistakes when using this tool

Counting overtime per pay period instead of per workweek. Federal overtime is weekly: 45 + 35 hours in a biweekly period is 5 OT hours, even though the total is 80.
Assuming salaried means no overtime. Exemption depends on duties and a salary threshold, not the word “salary”. Misclassification is one of the most common wage violations.
Using base rate when bonuses apply. Legally, nondiscretionary bonuses and shift differentials raise the “regular rate” that overtime is computed on. This tool uses the flat rate you enter.

When to use this tool

Checking a paycheck after a heavy week — does the gross match hours × the right multipliers?
Deciding whether an extra shift is worth it: see the marginal pay before saying yes.
Hourly workers budgeting a month that includes known overtime.
Verifying double-time rules kicked in correctly on a California paystub.

When not to use it

Salaried-exempt roles — most aren't legally owed overtime; check your exemption status before doing the math.
Take-home estimates — this is gross pay; withholding comes out after (use the paycheck calculator).
Tipped, commissioned, or piece-rate work — overtime on those uses a 'regular rate' that includes the extras, which this simple model doesn't compute.

Common use cases

Warehouse worker confirming 8 hours of time-and-a-half landed correctly on the stub.
Nurse comparing a 1.5× extra shift against a 2× holiday shift before picking one up.
Manager estimating the payroll cost of asking the team for a crunch week.
Employee documenting underpaid overtime before raising it with HR (or the Department of Labor).

Frequently asked questions

How is overtime pay calculated?: Hours over the threshold × your regular rate × the multiplier. US federal law (FLSA) requires at least 1.5× the regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek. Example: $20/hour with 48 hours worked = 40 × $20 + 8 × $30 = $1,040 gross. States can be stricter; the federal rule is the floor, not the ceiling.
Who is exempt from overtime?: Exemption requires both a salary above the federal threshold and qualifying job duties (executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, certain computer roles). Job title alone proves nothing — a 'manager' who mostly does the same work as their team may still be owed overtime. Misclassification claims are among the most common wage disputes.
When does double-time apply?: Federal law never requires it — double-time comes from state law or contracts. California is the big one: 2× after 12 hours in a workday, and 2× after 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday. Union agreements and holiday policies also commonly specify 2× for specific shifts.
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?: No — this is a persistent myth. Overtime dollars are ordinary income taxed at the same brackets. What people notice is higher withholding: a big check makes payroll software annualize that week's pay and withhold as if you always earned that much. The excess comes back at tax filing.
Does my bonus or shift differential change my overtime rate?: Legally yes, if it's nondiscretionary. The FLSA 'regular rate' includes nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions — so a $20/hour worker with a $2/hour night differential should earn OT on $22, not $20. Enter the all-in rate in the calculator to model this correctly.
What if my employer didn't pay overtime I'm owed?: Document hours and pay (paystubs, schedules, time clock records), raise it with payroll/HR first — honest errors happen — and if that fails, file with your state labor department or the US DOL Wage and Hour Division. The FLSA allows recovery of back wages going back 2 years (3 if the violation is willful), often doubled as liquidated damages.

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