Calculate overtime pay at time-and-a-half or double-time. Enter your regular rate and extra hours to see exactly what those long weeks are worth.
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most hourly employees must receive at least 1.5× their regular pay rate for every hour worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. This isn't a bonus or a favor — it's the law, and it applies unless you fall into a specific exemption (generally certain salaried executive, administrative, professional, or outside-sales roles). Some states go further: California requires 1.5× after 8 hours in a day and 2× after 12, plus 1.5× for the first 8 hours on a seventh consecutive workday.
Your 'regular rate' isn't always just your base hourly wage. Legally it includes most non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions — so a worker earning $20/hour plus a production bonus has a regular rate above $20, and their overtime premium is computed on that higher figure. Many employers simplify by using base rate only, which is fine for estimation but can understate what you're legally owed.
Overtime law was designed to do two things: compensate workers fairly for unsocial hours, and make long hours expensive enough that employers hire more people instead of working fewer people harder. The 50% premium is the economic nudge. For workers, it means extra hours punch above their weight: 10 overtime hours at time-and-a-half pay like 15 regular hours. That's why a 50-hour week feels disproportionately rewarding on payday — and why tracking your real hours matters.
There's a flip side worth knowing. Because overtime is lucrative, some employers misclassify workers as 'exempt' or as independent contractors to dodge the premium. If you're paid a salary but your duties don't meet an exemption test, you may still be owed overtime. The Department of Labor's duties tests — not your job title — decide. When in doubt, the math on this page plus a quick look at FLSA exemption rules is a good first step before talking to HR or a labor attorney.
Not all overtime is equal. Voluntary OT at 1.5× during normal weeks is usually the best-paying work you'll do. Mandatory crunch OT that wrecks your sleep has a hidden cost no calculator shows. A useful rule: convert the premium into annual terms. Five OT hours a week at $25/hour base is $9,375 extra per year — real money, but only about $180/week before taxes. Ask whether the lifestyle price is one you'd accept for that amount.
Also watch the tax illusion: employers frequently withhold supplemental wages (including overtime) at a flat 22% federal rate, so OT checks can look brutally taxed. Your actual tax on that income is your normal marginal rate — the difference comes back at tax time. Don't let a small-looking OT check convince you the hours weren't worth it; do the annual math instead.
The FLSA premium is simple: every overtime hour must pay at least 50% more than the regular rate.
Regular pay: 40 × $22 = $880. Overtime rate: $22 × 1.5 = $33/hour. Overtime pay: 10 × $33 = $330.
Total weekly earnings: **$1,210** — the 10 extra hours (25% more time) produced 37.5% more pay than the base $880, which is exactly the point of the premium. Over a year, 10 OT hours weekly at this rate adds about $17,160 before taxes.
For most hourly workers, yes — the FLSA requires overtime pay for hours over 40 in a workweek, with only narrow exemptions for certain salaried, executive, administrative, professional, and outside-sales roles meeting specific duties and salary tests.
Time-and-a-half: multiply your regular hourly rate by 1.5. At $20/hour, overtime pays $30/hour. Some states, contracts, or company policies pay double-time (2×) for very long days or seventh consecutive days — California is the best-known example.
No. The 40-hour threshold is per workweek, not per pay period. Two 50-hour weeks followed by two 30-hour weeks in a biweekly pay period still means 20 overtime hours, not zero.
Generally yes, if you're non-exempt — overtime is calculated on your regular rate including most non-discretionary bonuses. Salaried non-exempt workers get overtime too, based on their salary converted to an hourly regular rate.
For federal tax, overtime is taxed at your normal marginal rates — but employers often withhold on it at the flat 22% supplemental rate, which can make OT checks look heavily taxed. The true tax washes out at filing time.