Overtime Calculator: Price Your Extra Hours Correctly
Overtime is the most valuable hour you work, and the least understood. Under US federal law, eligible employees earn at least time and a half for hours past 40 in a week, which means your 45th hour pays 50% more than your first. But between irregular schedules, double-time holidays and monthly budgeting, most people cannot say what an overtime week is actually worth.
The free Overtime Calculator prices it out. Enter your regular hours, overtime hours, hourly rate and the overtime multiplier (1.5 is standard) to see regular pay, overtime pay and total gross pay for the week, plus monthly and annual projections. It runs in your browser with no signup and no data uploaded. When you want the after-tax version of your week, the paycheck calculator takes the gross figure from here and estimates take-home pay, while the hourly to salary calculator translates your weekly pay into annual terms.
How is overtime pay calculated?
Multiply overtime hours by your hourly rate times the multiplier, then add regular pay. At $20/hr with 5 OT hours at 1.5x: (40 x $20) + (5 x $20 x 1.5) = $800 + $150 = $950 gross for the week. All figures are gross before taxes.
The formula: (regular hours x rate) + (overtime hours x rate x multiplier). At $20/hour with 5 overtime hours at 1.5x: regular pay is 40 x 20 = $800, overtime pay is 5 x 20 x 1.5 = $150, and the weekly gross is $950. Those five extra hours, only 11% more time, produced 19% more pay. That is the multiplier working for you.
The calculator also splits the result so you can see the premium separately from base pay, which is useful for pay stubs that list them on different lines. Then it projects outward: monthly is weekly x 52 / 12, so $950 becomes about $4,116.67 a month, and annual is weekly x 52, or $49,400. Treat projections as straight-line estimates; they assume your overtime pattern repeats every week, which real schedules rarely do.
The real power move is comparing overtime against a raise. Those 5 weekly OT hours at $20/hour earn $150 a week, or $7,800 a year. A $3/hour raise on 40 straight-time hours earns 3 x 40 x 52 = $6,240 a year. The overtime habit out-earns the raise, which reframes the question: is the extra time worth more than the extra rate? Run both scenarios and decide with numbers instead of gut feeling.
What is time and a half, and when does double-time apply?
Time and a half is 1.5 times your normal hourly rate: $30/hour on a $20 base. Double-time is 2x, or $40/hour on the same base. Federal law sets 1.5x as the minimum for hours past 40 per week, but contracts can pay more.
Time and a half means 1.5 times your normal rate. At $20/hour, each overtime hour pays $30. It comes from the US Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires non-exempt employees to receive overtime premium pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. Some states go further with daily overtime rules, and union contracts often stack higher rates on top.
Double-time is the next rung: 2x your rate, so $40/hour on a $20 base. It commonly applies to holidays or to hours past a daily threshold like 12. Two double-time hours at $22/hour are 2 x 22 x 2 = $88. The calculator lets you set any multiplier, so whether your policy is 1.5x, 2x, or something custom, the math matches your actual pay rules. Just remember that salaried exempt employees and independent contractors are generally not covered by federal overtime rules.
A full holiday example ties it together. You work an 8-hour holiday shift at double-time on a $20 base: 8 x 20 x 2 = $320 for the day, versus $160 at straight time. That $160 premium is exactly why holiday sign-up sheets fill fast. Enter the holiday hours as overtime hours with the multiplier at 2 and the calculator prices the whole week, holiday included.
When does overtime legally kick in?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime kicks in for non-exempt employees working more than 40 hours in a single workweek. It does not average across weeks or pay periods, and some states add daily overtime rules on top of the federal minimum.
Under the FLSA, the trigger is hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek, and it applies to non-exempt employees. The workweek is a fixed seven-day period, not necessarily Monday to Sunday. Salaried exempt workers, independent contractors and several other categories fall outside these rules, and some states add daily overtime thresholds, so check your state labor rules if you are unsure where you stand.
Practically, knowing the trigger changes how you read a busy week. Work 45 hours and you have 5 overtime hours, but work 35 hours one week and 45 the next and only the second week earns the premium; overtime does not average across pay periods. Enter your regular and overtime hours separately in the calculator so the split stays accurate, and note that the monthly and annual projections assume the pattern holds steady, which is a planning estimate rather than a guarantee.
Daily overtime states complicate the picture in your favor. In California, for example, hours past 8 in a day earn 1.5x and past 12 earn 2x, even if the week stays under 40. A 10-hour day there means 8 at straight time plus 2 at time and a half. If your state has daily rules, model each day's premium hours separately, then total them as your overtime hours for the week. Service workers juggling overtime and tips can price the tip side separately with the tip calculator.
How to use the Overtime Calculator in 4 steps
- Enter your hours. Type your regular weekly hours and your overtime hours separately.
- Set your rate and multiplier. Enter your hourly rate; 1.5 is the standard time-and-a-half multiplier, adjustable for double-time.
- Read your gross weekly pay. See regular pay, overtime pay and the total, with the premium split out clearly.
- Check the projections. Review monthly and annual figures for budgeting, remembering they assume steady hours.
6 practical tips
- Separate your hours. Entering 45 as regular hours understates pay; 40 regular plus 5 overtime prices the premium correctly.
- Check your state rules. Some states require daily overtime beyond 8 hours, which federal math alone would miss.
- Price the premium, not just the hours. Five OT hours at 1.5x is 7.5 equivalent hours of pay; that is the real reward.
- Use double-time mode for holidays. Set the multiplier to 2 and enter holiday hours to see holiday pay accurately.
- Budget with the base, spend the bonus. Base projections on regular hours and treat overtime as variable income, since it rarely stays constant.
- Compare OT against raises. Five weekly OT hours at $20/hr earns $7,800/year, beating a $3/hr raise worth $6,240; run both numbers.
Frequently asked questions
What multiplier should I use?
Use 1.5 for standard time-and-a-half overtime under federal law. Some contracts pay 2x (double-time) for holidays or very long days; the calculator accepts any multiplier you set for your situation.
Does this include taxes?
No. All figures are gross pay before federal tax, state tax, Social Security and Medicare are deducted. Taxes and contributions come out before the money reaches your account on payday.
Are monthly and annual figures guaranteed?
They are straight-line projections: weekly pay x 52/12 for monthly and x 52 for annual. They assume your hours stay the same every week, which real schedules rarely do in practice.
Can I use this for double-time holiday pay?
Yes. Set the multiplier to 2 for double-time, enter your holiday hours as overtime hours, and the calculator prices them at twice your normal hourly rate automatically for the week.
Is my pay data uploaded anywhere?
No. The math runs entirely in your browser with JavaScript. Your hours and rate never leave your device, are never uploaded to any server, and are never stored anywhere after you close the page.
Does overtime law cover salaried workers?
Generally no. Federal overtime covers non-exempt employees, which usually excludes salaried exempt workers and independent contractors. Some states add their own rules, so check your classification with your employer directly.
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