Overtime Pay Calculator

How overtime hours are counted

For many covered, nonexempt US workers, federal overtime begins after 40 hours actually worked in a fixed workweek. Enter those first hours as regular hours and the extra hours as overtime hours. This tool applies a 1.5 multiplier to the overtime hours and adds that result to regular pay. It does not decide eligibility or determine whether your employer's workweek matches the calendar week.

For example, if you work 45 hours and your regular rate is $25, enter 40 regular hours and five overtime hours. Your overtime rate becomes $37.50, so your extra pay is $187.50. Adding the $1,000 for the first 40 hours yields $1,187.50 before any withholding. Entering all 45 hours as regular and also adding five overtime hours would double-count those five hours.

Federal rules and local exceptions

The Fair Labor Standards Act sets a federal baseline for covered employees, but some states provide more generous rules. California has daily overtime provisions, including double time in certain circumstances; this simple weekly calculator does not apply daily overtime thresholds, double time, seventh-day rules, or alternative workweek schedules. Consult your state's labor agency or payroll department for those cases.

Paid holidays, vacation, and sick leave are not usually counted as hours worked under federal overtime rules, although an employer can offer a more generous policy. A job title or salary alone does not prove that an employee is exempt. The duties test and pay requirements matter, and special rules can apply to particular occupations.

Using the result to check a paycheck

Compare gross overtime pay with your pay stub before taxes rather than the net deposit. Extra earnings can increase withholding on a particular check, but that does not mean your entire overtime amount is taxed at a higher final income-tax rate. Withholding and the tax you owe after filing are different calculations.

Keep your own record of start times, end times, and unpaid breaks. If you work across two workweeks within one pay period, calculate each workweek separately; federal overtime cannot generally be averaged across weeks. This tool accepts one group of regular and overtime hours, so running it once per workweek is the clearest approach.

If your hourly rate changes, bonuses affect your regular rate, or tips and commissions are involved, the legal overtime rate may require additional calculations. Treat this result as a straightforward time-and-a-half estimate, not a formal wage determination. Compare the result with your employer's pay records and ask about any differences you cannot explain.

A common mistake is treating an overtime hour as only an extra half-hour's worth of pay. An overtime hour itself earns the entire 1.5× rate: at $20 an hour, that is $30, not $10. If your payroll statement shows regular pay for every hour plus a separate overtime premium of $10 for each extra hour, those two lines together still equal $30 per overtime hour. Check both lines before assuming that you were underpaid.