Overtime Calculator

Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay at one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Total weekly pay = (regular hours × hourly rate) + (overtime hours × hourly rate × multiplier). The default multiplier is 1.5, matching federal baseline overtime premium. A workweek is a fixed recurring 168-hour period defined by the employer — not necessarily Monday through Sunday — so OT can span calendar boundaries.

State laws can require more generous treatment. California mandates daily overtime after 8 hours in a day and double-time after 12 hours. Alaska, Colorado, and Nevada have their own daily thresholds. Some union contracts specify 2× for Sundays or holidays. This calculator accepts any multiplier you enter — adjust it to match your contract or state rule. When state law exceeds federal minimums, the higher standard applies to covered workers in that state.

Exempt salaried employees — typically executives, professionals, and administrators meeting federal duty and salary tests — generally do not receive overtime regardless of hours worked. Misclassification is a common wage-and-hour issue investigated by the DOL. If you are salaried but believe you should be non-exempt, review DOL fact sheets on white-collar exemptions or speak with your state labor agency — this tool cannot determine your status from inputs alone.

The "regular rate" includes more than base hourly pay for some workers. Nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commission payments can raise the rate used to calculate overtime. This calculator uses a single hourly rate you enter — if your employer blends additional compensation into the OT base, enter the blended regular rate from your pay stub or HR. Production bonuses tied to output often count toward regular rate; purely discretionary holiday gifts usually do not.

Blended effective hourly rate helps compare weeks with different OT loads. Divide total weekly pay by total hours worked (regular + OT) to see your average hourly earnings that week. A heavy OT week can push the blended rate well above your base — useful for deciding whether extra shifts are worth the fatigue. Nurses, warehouse staff, and film crews often track blended rates to evaluate schedule trade-offs during crunch periods.

Comp time in lieu of cash overtime is permitted only for certain public-sector employers under specific FLSA rules — most private employers must pay cash OT. If you receive comp time instead of pay, this calculator still shows the cash equivalent you would earn at the entered multiplier, which helps compare offers across public and private employers.

Worked example with defaults: 40 regular hours plus 8 overtime hours at $22 per hour with a 1.5× multiplier. Regular pay = 40 × $22 = $880. Overtime pay = 8 × $22 × 1.5 = $264. Total = $1,144 for the week. Blended effective rate = $1,144 ÷ 48 ≈ $23.83 per hour. Annualizing one heavy week is misleading — multiply typical OT weeks across the year instead of assuming 48-hour weeks every week.

OT pay shown here is a planning estimate, not legal advice on eligibility or employer obligations. Federal rules change with regulations and court decisions. Verify your classification and applicable rates with your employer, union representative, or the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. State agencies enforce parallel rules in many jurisdictions and may recover back wages for misclassified workers.