⏰ Overtime Pay Calculator

What This Calculator Does

This calculator works out what overtime is worth. Enter your hourly rate, your regular hours, and your overtime hours, and it shows the overtime pay and your total earnings for the period — with the standard time-and-a-half (1.5x) multiplier, or double time (2x) where that applies. Every figure appears instantly and updates as you type.

Overtime math is simple but consequential: it is where paycheck errors hide and where “should I take the extra shift?” gets a real answer. Knowing exactly what those hours pay — before you work them, and when you check the stub after — is what this tool makes effortless.

How Overtime Pay Works

The mechanics: overtime hours pay at a multiple of your regular rate. At time-and-a-half, a $20/hour rate becomes $30 for each overtime hour; ten such hours add $300, and total pay is the regular hours at $20 plus the overtime at $30. Double time doubles the base instead — $40/hour in that example. The multiplier applies to the rate, and the calculator applies it exactly, so the total matches what a correct paycheck should show.

In the US, the baseline comes from the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5x for hours over 40 in a workweek. States can add more — California notably requires daily overtime past 8 hours and double time past 12, and several states have their own variations. Salaried “exempt” roles (meeting specific duties and salary tests) fall outside these rules entirely. That landscape is worth knowing generally, with the honest caveat that this is arithmetic and general information, not legal advice about your specific classification.

Using the Numbers Well

The forward-looking use is deciding whether extra hours are worth it. Time-and-a-half changes the equation meaningfully: a $22/hour worker offered 8 overtime hours is looking at $264, not $176 — over a month of such weeks, more than $1,000 of difference. Seeing the concrete figure turns a vague “extra shift” into an informed choice, and helps with planning around a savings goal or a bill. It also clarifies comparisons, like whether a job with frequent overtime out-earns a higher-base job without it.

The backward-looking use is checking your paycheck. Overtime is one of the most common places pay errors occur — hours miscounted, the multiplier not applied, or overtime blended into straight time. Recalculating a stub takes seconds here: regular hours at base, overtime at the multiplier, compare the total. If the numbers do not match, you have a specific, documented question for payroll rather than a vague feeling. Workers who verify their overtime routinely catch discrepancies; the math being on your side starts with actually doing the math.

Exempt or Non-Exempt: The Distinction That Decides Overtime

Whether overtime rules apply to you at all comes down to classification. Non-exempt employees — the default — must receive at least time-and-a-half beyond 40 hours in a workweek under the FLSA. Exempt employees are outside those rules, but exemption is not simply “being salaried”: it generally requires both a salary above a government-set threshold and duties that genuinely fit executive, administrative, professional, or certain other categories. A salaried job title alone does not make someone exempt, and misclassification — treating workers as exempt to avoid overtime — is among the most common wage violations, with back-pay recoveries to match. If long unpaid hours are the norm in a salaried role, the classification question is worth understanding.

A few practical details round out the picture. The federal workweek is any fixed 168-hour period, and overtime counts hours over 40 within it — federal law does not require overtime for long single days, though states can and do add rules (California's daily overtime being the famous example). Averaging across two weeks to dodge overtime is not permitted for most workers. The “regular rate” that gets multiplied can also include certain bonuses and differentials, not just base wage. All of this is general information rather than legal advice for your situation — but knowing the shape of the rules is exactly what lets you check a paycheck intelligently, and the Department of Labor's wage division handles questions and complaints when the numbers refuse to reconcile.

Quick Tips

• Time and a half = base rate × 1.5; double time = base × 2.
• Federal baseline: 1.5x beyond 40 hours/week for non-exempt employees.
• Some states add daily overtime and double-time rules on top.
• Recheck your pay stub's overtime — it is where paycheck errors most often hide.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is overtime pay calculated?

Overtime hours are paid at a multiplier of your regular rate — most commonly 1.5x ('time and a half'). At $20/hour, an overtime hour pays $30. Total pay is regular hours at the base rate plus overtime hours at the multiplied rate; the calculator adds it up instantly.

What is time and a half for $18 an hour?

$27 per hour. Multiply the base rate by 1.5. Ten overtime hours at that rate add $270 on top of regular earnings for the week.

When does overtime apply in the US?

Under federal law (the FLSA), non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5x their regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek. Some states go further — California, for example, adds daily overtime and double-time rules. Exempt salaried roles are not entitled to overtime; this is general information, not legal advice.

What is double time?

Pay at 2x the regular rate. Federal law does not require it, but some states and many employer policies or union contracts apply it to long days, seventh consecutive days, or holidays. The calculator supports a 2x multiplier for these cases.

Exact, Instant, and Free

This calculator runs entirely in your browser, applying the multiplier exactly the moment you type. It needs no account or download and works on any device. Like every tool here, it is free to use as often as you like.

Related Tools

For more pay tools, the hourly to salary calculator annualizes your wage, the pay raise calculator values a raise, and the time duration calculator totals your hours.