This overtime calculator builds a weekly paycheck the way payroll does: regular hours at your base rate, overtime beyond 40 at time-and-a-half, and any double-time hours at twice the rate — with the three pieces broken out so you can audit a pay stub line by line.
This is gross pay before taxes and deductions. Rules vary: US federal law (FLSA) mandates 1.5× after 40 hours/week for non-exempt workers; some states (e.g. California) add daily overtime after 8 hours and double time after 12 — enter your hours into the tiers as your rule assigns them.
How Overtime Pay Stacks
Each hour is paid exactly once, at the highest tier it earns: gross = (regular hrs × rate) + (OT hrs × rate × 1.5) + (DT hrs × rate × 2). The FLSA’s weekly rule (premium after 40 in a workweek) is the US federal floor; collective agreements and state daily rules can only add. Salaried perspective — annualizing these weeks, or converting a salary offer into its implied hourly — is our Salary Calculator‘s job, including a take-home estimate. Part of our Other Calculators collection.
Worked Example (Verified)
$20/hour, 40 regular + 10 overtime + 2 double-time hours (the widget’s defaults):
- Regular: 40 × $20 = $800
- Overtime: 10 × $30 = $300 · Double time: 2 × $40 = $80
- Gross week: $1,180 for 52 hours — a blended $22.69/hour; the 12 premium hours lifted the check 47.5% above the straight-time $1,040 those hours would pay flat
- Stub audit trick: when a paycheck looks wrong, this three-line breakdown against your timesheet finds the discrepancy in seconds — usually an hour tiered wrong, not the rate
The Rules Around the Math
- Non-exempt vs exempt: overtime law covers non-exempt employees; bona fide executive/administrative/professional and certain other roles are exempt regardless of hours.
- Daily-overtime states (CA, AK, CO, NV variants): hours beyond 8/day premium up before the weekly count does — sort your hours into tiers per your state’s scheme.
- Bonuses and shift differentials can raise the “regular rate” legally used for the 1.5× — payroll’s blended-rate calculation, visible here as the blended card’s concept, is where disputes live.
- Comp time in lieu of pay is generally a public-sector arrangement; private employers owe wages.
Related Tools
- Salary Calculator — hourly ⇄ salary, with take-home estimate
- Time Calculator — sum your week’s hours first
- Other Calculators — the full collection
Frequently Asked Questions
How is overtime pay calculated?
Hours beyond the threshold pay at 1.5× your regular rate (time and a half); double-time hours at 2×. Example: 10 OT hours at $20/hr = 10 × $30 = $300, on top of $800 regular for a 40-hour base — $1,180 gross with 2 double-time hours added.
When does overtime start?
Under US federal law, after 40 hours in a single workweek for non-exempt workers. Some states add daily triggers (after 8 hours in a day), and contracts can set lower thresholds — the employer’s rulebook and your state labor site are authoritative for your case.
What is the “regular rate” for overtime?
Legally, total weekly remuneration (including most bonuses and differentials) divided by total hours worked — not always the nominal hourly wage. That’s why two workers at “$20/hr” can have different correct OT rates; payroll computes it per week.
Are salaried employees entitled to overtime?
Only if non-exempt — salary alone doesn’t decide; duties and salary-level tests do. Misclassification is common enough that the DOL publishes a self-screening guide; when in doubt, the classification audit is worth more than any calculator.
How do I check a pay stub with this?
Reconstruct your week into the three tiers from your timesheet, run the numbers, and compare gross figures. Differences usually trace to a tier boundary (hours logged past midnight splitting days) or the regular-rate nuance above — both explainable by payroll, in writing, on request.
Is this overtime calculator free?
Yes — free, instant, no sign-up. It computes gross pay for information; it is not legal or payroll advice.