How to use the overtime calculator
- Choose the rule: US federal for overtime after 40 hours a week, or California for California's daily and weekly rules.
- Set the day your workweek starts and enter each day's hours as a decimal (8.5) or as hours and minutes (8:30). Leave days off empty.
- Add your hourly rate to see regular pay, overtime pay at 1.5 times, double-time pay at 2 times, and total gross pay before tax.
Each day shows how its hours were split. To add up clock-in and clock-out times first, use the time card calculator.
The US federal rule: over 40 hours a week
The federal rule comes from the Fair Labor Standards Act. The Department of Labor puts it like this:
"Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay."US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
Only the weekly total counts. A 12-hour day is not federal overtime if the week stays at 40 hours or less, and the law "does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest" unless the hours go over 40. A workweek is "a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours", and each week is worked out on its own.
Example 1. Five 9-hour days and 5 hours on Saturday is 50 hours. At $20 an hour:
| Line | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40.00 | $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime (1.5x) | 10.00 | $30.00 | $300.00 |
| Total | 50.00 | $1,100.00 |
California overtime rules
California adds daily overtime, double time and a seventh-day rule. The Labor Commissioner's Office says a nonexempt employee must be paid at least:
"One and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of eight hours up to and including 12 hours in any workday, and for the first eight hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek; and Double the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 12 hours in any workday and for all hours worked in excess of eight on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek."California Labor Commissioner's Office, Overtime
Time and a half also applies to hours "over 40 hours in the workweek". In short:
- 1.5x for hours 9 to 12 in a workday, for hours over 40 in the workweek, and for the first 8 hours on the seventh day of work in a row.
- 2x for hours over 12 in a workday, and for hours over 8 on that seventh day.
Example 2. 13, 10, 10, 8 and 6 hours, Monday to Friday, is 47 hours at $20 an hour. Monday has 8 regular hours, 4 at 1.5x and 1 at 2x. Tuesday and Wednesday each have 2 hours at 1.5x.
| Line | California | Federal |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | 38.00 | 40.00 |
| Overtime hours (1.5x) | 8.00 | 7.00 |
| Double-time hours (2x) | 1.00 | 0.00 |
| Gross pay | $1,040.00 | $1,010.00 |
Try an example fills in this week.
Daily and weekly overtime are not counted twice
In California an hour is not paid as overtime twice. In a 2000 opinion letter, the Labor Commissioner's chief counsel looked at five 10-hour days: 10 hours of overtime, 2 a day, and "these daily overtime hours would not be counted for the purpose of any other overtime payment, such as weekly overtime hours."
So only hours paid at the regular rate count toward the 40. The letter's examples, as this calculator works them out:
| Week | Total | Regular | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 hours x 5 days | 50 | 40 | 10 (daily) |
| 9 hours Monday to Thursday, 4 on Friday | 40 | 36 | 4 (daily) |
| 7 hours x 6 days | 42 | 40 | 2 (weekly) |
Seventh-day hours are all paid at 1.5x or 2x, so the calculator does not count them toward the 40 either.
The seventh-day rule
The rule covers the "seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek". A workweek is seven days, so the calculator applies it when you enter hours on all seven days of the same workweek. A day off anywhere in that week, even the first day, means no seventh-day premium, so set the day your workweek starts correctly.
Example 3. 8 hours on days 1 to 6 and 10 hours on day 7, at $20 an hour. Days 1 to 5 are 40 regular hours. Day 6 is 8 hours of weekly overtime. Day 7 is 8 hours at 1.5x and 2 at 2x. That is 40 regular, 16 overtime and 2 double-time hours: $800 + $480 + $80 = $1,360.00. Under the federal rule the same 58 hours pay $1,340.00.
It applies even in a short week: 5 hours on each of six days and 8 on the seventh is only 38 hours, but those last 8 are paid at 1.5x.
What this calculator does not cover
- Exemptions. The Department of Labor's rule applies "unless exempt", and California's Labor Commissioner notes "a number of exemptions from the overtime law". Some salaried employees and some other jobs are not owed overtime.
- Special rules. Agricultural workers have different limits, and a valid alternative workweek schedule changes the rules. This calculator uses only the general rules above.
- The regular rate. Overtime is worked out on your regular rate of pay, which can be more than your hourly rate. California says it includes "shift differentials and the per hour value of any non-hourly compensation", such as some bonuses. Enter your regular rate if you know it.
- Workdays. California defines a workday as "any consecutive 24-hour period beginning at the same time each calendar day". Enter each workday's hours on its own line.
- Other states and tax. This calculator covers only the federal rule and California's general rules; check your own state's law. Pay shown here is gross, before tax and deductions.
Questions and answers
How is overtime calculated?
Under the US federal rule, every hour over 40 in a workweek is paid at least 1.5 times your regular rate. 45 hours at $20 an hour is 40 x $20 plus 5 x $30, which is $950.00.
Does California pay overtime after 8 hours a day?
Yes. Under the general California rules, hours over 8 up to 12 in a workday are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate and hours over 12 at double. Hours over 40 in the workweek are also paid at 1.5 times.
What is the seventh-day rule in California?
If you work all seven days of a workweek, the first 8 hours on the seventh day are paid at 1.5 times and any hours over 8 that day at double, however many hours you worked earlier in the week.
Are daily and weekly overtime added together in California?
No. Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again toward the 40-hour weekly limit. Five 10-hour days give 10 hours of overtime, not 20.
Do I get overtime for working on a weekend or a holiday?
Not under federal law on its own. The Department of Labor says overtime is not required for Saturdays, Sundays or holidays unless the hours go over 40 in the workweek.
Sources
Checked on 7 October 2026. If a rule has changed, please tell us.