Overtime Pay Calculator (2026)
Calculate your US overtime pay under the federal FLSA weekly rule or California's daily overtime rules. Enter your hourly rate and hours to see regular pay, the 1.5× premium, and your effective rate.
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How overtime pay works in the United States
Overtime law in the United States starts with a single federal statute: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), 29 U.S.C. §207, administered by the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. The rule is short and blunt — any non-exempt employee who works more than 40 hours in one workweek must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for each hour beyond 40. A handful of states (California, Alaska, Nevada, and a few others) layer on stricter daily-overtime rules; everywhere else, the weekly threshold is the one that matters.
The key word is non-exempt. "Exempt" has nothing to do with how you think of yourself at work — it's a legal classification. Executive, administrative, professional, and outside-sales employees who meet both the salary threshold and the duties tests are exempt and have no federal right to overtime, no matter how many hours they log. Everyone else — hourly retail staff, most office employees, trades workers, many salaried supervisors — is non-exempt and must be paid overtime. If you're not sure which category you're in, that question is worth more than any calculator output.
The regular rate — the number everyone gets wrong
Overtime isn't "1.5 × your hourly rate." It's 1.5 × your regular rate of pay, which the DOL defines as total straight-time earnings in the workweek divided by total hours worked. When you earn a single flat hourly rate and nothing else, the two are identical — and that's the case this calculator assumes.
The moment other pay enters the picture, they diverge. Work two different hourly rates in one week (say, $20/hour as a cashier and $24/hour training new hires)? Your regular rate is the weighted average of the two. Earn a non-discretionary bonus, a shift differential, or a piece-rate premium? Those straight-time dollars get folded into the numerator too, pushing your regular rate — and therefore your overtime rate — above 1.5 × your base rate. Discretionary bonuses (a surprise holiday gift the employer wasn't obligated to pay) are excluded. Employers that pay overtime off the base rate alone are underpaying whenever differentials or bonuses exist.
Worked example (federal weekly rule)
Take a warehouse associate earning $20/hour who works 50 hours in one workweek:
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | min(50, 40) | 40 hrs |
| Regular pay | 40 × $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime hours | 50 − 40 | 10 hrs |
| Overtime rate | $20.00 × 1.5 | $30.00/hr |
| Overtime pay | 10 × $30.00 | $300.00 |
| Gross weekly pay | $800 + $300 | $1,100.00 |
| Effective hourly rate | $1,100 ÷ 50 | $22.00/hr |
Notice the effective rate: ten hours at time-and-a-half lifts the week's blended rate from $20 to $22. If she had worked 60 hours instead, overtime pay would be 20 × $30 = $600, gross $1,400, and the effective rate $23.33 — the more overtime you work, the closer your blended rate creeps toward the overtime rate.
California's daily rules (simplified here)
California goes further than the FLSA. Under Labor Code §510 (California Department of Industrial Relations, 2026 guidance):
- 1.5× for hours past 8 in a single day (even if the weekly total is under 40),
- 2× (double time) for hours past 12 in a single day,
- 1.5× for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday, 2× after 8 that day.
Our California mode estimates this from your average shift length, assuming every workday is the same length. Example: $22/hour, five 10-hour days (50 hours/week). Daily overtime is 2 hours/day × 5 days = 10 hours at $33, regular pay is 40 × $22 = $880, and the total comes to $1,210 — the same as the federal result here, because 50 weekly hours with 10-hour days triggers the same 10 overtime hours either way. The difference shows up with 12-hour shifts: $20/hour, three 12-hour days (36 hours/week) earns zero overtime under federal law but 12 hours at 1.5× ($360 premium) under California law. That gap is exactly why daily overtime exists.
Two simplifications to know: we assume equal-length shifts (real schedules vary), and we don't model the seventh-consecutive-day rule or California's meal-period premium pay. Union contracts and some industries have their own (often better) rules that override both.
Edge cases worth knowing
- Salaried non-exempt workers still get overtime. Their hourly equivalent is salary ÷ 40 (for a 40-hour salary), and hours past 40 pay 1.5× that figure.
- Comp time instead of overtime is generally illegal in the private sector — the FLSA requires the cash premium; public employers have narrow exceptions.
- The workweek can't be gamed. It's a fixed, recurring 168-hour period. Averaging 50 hours with the next week's 30 to "even out" at 40 is prohibited.
- State floors, not ceilings. States can be stricter than the FLSA (California's daily rules) but never looser. When both apply, the rule most favorable to the employee wins.
Data sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — FLSA overtime provisions (29 U.S.C. §207); California Department of Industrial Relations — overtime rules under Labor Code §510. All thresholds and multipliers current for 2026. This page is an estimate for planning, not legal advice — "estimates only, not legal or tax advice."
Frequently asked questions
How is overtime pay calculated under the FLSA?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C. §207, enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division), non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5 times their 'regular rate of pay' for every hour worked over 40 in a single workweek. So at a $20/hour rate, the first 40 hours pay $800 and 10 overtime hours pay $300 (10 × $30), for $1,100 total.
Does overtime apply if I'm salaried?
It depends on whether you're 'exempt' or 'non-exempt' under the FLSA — and salary alone doesn't decide that. A salaried employee who fails the duties test (for example, many retail supervisors, office staff, or trades workers) is non-exempt and must receive overtime, typically computed from their salary-derived hourly equivalent. Executive, administrative, and professional employees who meet both the salary and duties tests are exempt and have no federal right to overtime.
What is the 'regular rate of pay' — is it just my hourly rate?
Not always. The regular rate is your total straight-time earnings in the workweek divided by total hours worked. If you earn multiple hourly rates, shift differentials, or certain non-discretionary bonuses (like a production bonus), those must be folded into the regular rate before the 1.5× multiplier is applied — so your overtime rate can be higher than 1.5 × your base hourly rate. This calculator assumes a single hourly rate and no bonuses.
How is California overtime different from federal?
California (Labor Code §510, per the CA Department of Industrial Relations) is stricter than the FLSA: non-exempt workers earn 1.5× for hours past 8 in a day (not just past 40 in a week), 2× for hours past 12 in a day, and 1.5× for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday (2× after 8 that day). Our California mode simplifies this with an average shift length and does not model the seventh-day rule — treat it as an estimate.
Can my employer average my hours across two weeks to avoid overtime?
No. The FLSA workweek is a fixed, recurring 7-day period, and overtime is computed per workweek — an employer cannot average 50 hours one week with 30 the next to dodge the 1.5× premium on the 10 overtime hours. Some states allow specific exceptions (like hospital '8-and-80' schedules), but averaging across weeks is not permitted.
Estimates only, not tax or financial advice. Figures reflect the 2026 tax year. Verify important decisions with the IRS or a qualified tax professional.