How overtime pay works
Federal law (the Fair Labor Standards Act) requires overtime pay of at least 1.5× your regular hourly rate for every hour worked over 40 in a single week. Your first 40 hours are paid at your normal rate; every hour after that is paid at the higher rate — not your whole week. This calculator models that weekly rule only. It doesn't model daily-overtime rules that some states apply on top of the federal rule, or double-time, which isn't a federal requirement at all — see the disclosure below for what that means for your own paycheck.
Frequently asked questions
How is overtime pay calculated?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), hours worked over 40 in a single week are paid at 1.5× your regular hourly rate. Regular pay covers the first 40 hours; overtime pay covers everything after that, at the higher rate.
What is time and a half on $20 an hour?
1.5 × $20 = $30/hour for every hour worked past 40 in a week. Enter your own rate above for the exact figure.
Does this include daily overtime rules?
No — this calculator models federal FLSA weekly overtime only (hours over 40/week). Some states have their own daily-overtime rules (for example, hours over 8 in a single day), which aren't modeled here. Check your state's labor office for rules that may apply to you.
Is overtime pay the same as double time?
No. Overtime under FLSA is 1.5× your regular rate. 'Double time' (2×) isn't a federal requirement — it only applies where a specific state law or employer policy sets it, which this calculator doesn't model.
Worked examples
A six-hour overtime week
$23.75 an hour, 46 hours worked — the standard time-and-a-half case.
- Hourly
- $23.75
- Weekly
- $950
- Biweekly
- $1,900
- Annual
- $49,400
The first 40 hours pay $950.00. The remaining 6 are premium hours at one-and-a-half times the base, adding $213.75 for a week total of $1,163.75. The premium rate here lands on a half-cent — $35.625 an hour — and it has to stay that way through the multiplication: rounding it to $35.63 before multiplying would overstate the six hours by three cents. Across every hour worked, the blended rate is $25.30.
A heavy week
Same base rate, 58 hours — where overtime stops being incidental.
- Hourly
- $23.75
- Weekly
- $950
- Biweekly
- $1,900
- Annual
- $49,400
18 premium hours turn a $23.75 base into a $1,591 week — a heavy overtime load by any reading. Sustained across all 52 weeks it would annualize near $82,745, but treat that as arithmetic rather than a plan: overtime this heavy is rarely offered year-round and is the first line cut when budgets tighten.
Exactly at the threshold
40 hours worked — the boundary case that earns no premium at all.
- Hourly
- $23.75
- Weekly
- $950
- Biweekly
- $1,900
- Annual
- $49,400
At exactly 40 hours the FLSA premium has not triggered: overtime hours are 0 and the week pays $950.00, with the blended rate sitting exactly on the $23.75 base. The threshold is strictly "beyond 40 in a single workweek" — the 40th hour is ordinary time, and only the 41st onward carries the premium.
Weekly gross by base rate and hours worked
Every cell applies the federal 1.5× premium to hours past 40 in the week. Columns at or below 40 carry no premium.
| Base hourly rate | 38 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 60 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $16.00 | $608 | $640 | $760 | $880 | $1,120 |
| $20.00 | $760 | $800 | $950 | $1,100 | $1,400 |
| $24.00 | $912 | $960 | $1,140 | $1,320 | $1,680 |
| $28.00 | $1,064 | $1,120 | $1,330 | $1,540 | $1,960 |
| $35.00 | $1,330 | $1,400 | $1,663 | $1,925 | $2,450 |
| $45.00 | $1,710 | $1,800 | $2,138 | $2,475 | $3,150 |
Federal rules only. Some states add daily overtime or a seventh-consecutive-day rule that this table does not model.
What changes the answer
Hours past 40 in the workweek
The only trigger under federal law. It is assessed within one fixed workweek and cannot be averaged across two — 30 hours followed by 50 earns ten premium hours, despite an 80-hour fortnight.
Your regular rate, not just base wage
Non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions generally have to be folded into the regular rate before the 1.5× multiplier applies, which raises the true overtime rate above what a base wage alone suggests.
State overtime law
Several states require daily overtime past 8 hours, or double time past 12, regardless of the weekly total. Where state and federal rules differ, whichever is more generous to the employee governs.
Paid leave inside the week
Holiday and vacation hours are usually paid but not "worked," so they typically do not count toward the 40-hour trigger — a 48-hour week containing 8 holiday hours often earns no premium at all.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Averaging hours across a two-week pay period. Overtime is calculated per workweek; the pay cycle is irrelevant to the entitlement.
- Applying 1.5× to the whole week rather than to the hours beyond 40 only. The first 40 always pay at the base rate.
- Rounding the premium rate to the nearest cent before multiplying by hours. On a rate ending in a half-cent this overstates the week — round only the final figure.
- Accepting comp time in place of overtime pay. In private-sector employment that is generally not lawful, whatever the arrangement is called.
Practical takeaways
- Confirm which fixed seven-day period your employer treats as the workweek. It determines everything and is not always Monday to Sunday.
- Check whether shift differentials or non-discretionary bonuses should be raising your regular rate before the multiplier.
- Compare the blended rate rather than the base rate when overtime is routine — it is what you are genuinely earning per hour.
- Keep your own record of hours worked. In a dispute over unpaid overtime, contemporaneous notes carry real weight.
Key terms
- FLSA overtime
- Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5× their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The 40-hour trigger is based on hours actually worked in that week — not on your scheduled hours, and not averaged across two weeks.
- Exempt vs. non-exempt
- Non-exempt employees are entitled to overtime pay. Exempt employees are not, and must meet all of the legal tests for an exemption — a salary basis, a minimum salary threshold, and specific job duties. Being paid a salary alone does not make someone exempt; misclassification is common and is decided by the duties test, not by job title.
- Blended rate
- Total pay for a week divided by total hours worked in that week. In an overtime week it lands between your base rate and your 1.5× rate, and it is the honest answer to "what am I actually earning per hour right now" — more useful for comparing jobs than the base rate alone when overtime is routine.
- Regular rate of pay
- The FLSA figure that overtime is calculated from. It is not always just your base hourly wage: non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions generally have to be folded in first, which raises the overtime rate. This calculator uses your base rate alone, so treat its overtime figure as a floor.
- Workweek
- A fixed, recurring period of seven consecutive 24-hour days that your employer defines. Overtime is calculated within a single workweek and cannot be averaged across two of them — working 30 hours one week and 50 the next earns 10 hours of overtime, even though the two-week total is exactly 80.
More questions answered
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?
No. Overtime is ordinary income taxed at exactly the same rates as the rest of your pay. It often looks more heavily taxed because withholding tables treat a larger paycheck as though every check that year will be that size, so more is withheld up front. The excess comes back at filing — the true tax owed on an overtime dollar is identical to any other dollar at that income level.
Can my employer refuse to pay for overtime I was not told to work?
Generally no. Under federal rules, if an employer knows or has reason to know that work is being performed, the hours must be paid — even where the overtime was not authorized in advance. An employer may discipline you for breaking an authorization policy, but that is separate from the obligation to pay for hours actually worked.
Does the 40-hour trigger use my scheduled hours or my worked hours?
Worked hours, always. Someone scheduled for 35 hours who works 44 has earned four premium hours — the entitlement begins past 40 hours actually worked, regardless of the contracted schedule. This calculator applies the 40-hour federal threshold rather than your scheduled figure for that reason.
Model assumptions & disclosures
Gross pay only — not take-home pay. Every figure this converter shows is gross (pre-tax) pay. It never computes federal or state withholding, FICA, or any other deduction — your actual take-home pay will be lower, and by how much depends on your tax bracket, filing status, benefits elections, and state, none of which are modeled here.
A standard schedule, not your specific one. The default 40-hour week and 52-week year (2,080 hours/year) is the common full-time annualization basis — enter your own scheduled hours if yours differs. Paid time off, unpaid leave, and irregular schedules aren't modeled separately.
Overtime models FLSA weekly rules only. Hours over 40 in a week are shown at 1.5× the base rate. Daily-overtime rules that some states apply (for example, hours over 8 in a single day) are not modeled — check your state's specific rules if they may apply to you.
Not financial or legal advice. This calculator provides illustrative estimates based on the inputs you enter. Consult your employer's HR team, a tax professional, or your state labor office before making decisions based on these figures.