Overtime Pay Calculator

Is Overtime Pay Required by Law?

Yes — for non-exempt employees, federal law requires overtime pay. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered non-exempt employees must receive at least 1.5 times their regular rate of pay for every hour worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. [U.S. Department of Labor]

Your “regular rate of pay” is not always just your hourly wage. It generally must include most non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, and shift differentials, spread across all hours worked that week. An employer who calculates your overtime using only your base hourly rate — while ignoring a production bonus or commission — is often underpaying you.

Who is exempt from overtime pay?

Paying you a salary does not automatically make you exempt. To be exempt from overtime under the federal “EAP” exemptions, you generally must pass three tests: a salary basis test, a salary level test (at least $684 per week, or $35,568 per year, as of 2026), and a duties test tied to genuine executive, administrative, or professional responsibilities. [U.S. Department of Labor]

• Executive, administrative, and professional employees who meet the salary and duties tests above.
• Outside sales employees who regularly work away from the employer’s place of business.
• Certain computer employees paid at least $684/week or $27.63/hour.
• Highly compensated employees earning at least $107,432 per year who meet a relaxed duties test.

If you fail even one of these tests — for example, your duties are mostly routine even though your title says “manager” — you are entitled to overtime no matter how you are paid.

How Is Overtime Pay Calculated? The FLSA Formula

The core formula is simple: Overtime pay = regular rate × 1.5 × overtime hours. A “workweek” is any fixed, recurring 168-hour period your employer sets — it doesn’t have to run Sunday through Saturday, and your employer cannot change it specifically to dodge overtime. [U.S. Department of Labor]

For example, an employee earning $20/hour who works 45 hours in one workweek is owed 40 hours at $20 ($800) plus 5 overtime hours at $30 ($150) — a total of $950 for that week.

Overtime Pay Calculator — Target Keyword: How Rules Differ by State

Federal law only looks at the 40-hour weekly mark. Several states layer additional daily overtime and double-time rules on top of the federal rule:

Step-by-Step: How to Calculate Your Own Overtime Pay

You can verify any paycheck yourself in about five minutes. Follow these steps:

1. Confirm your regular hourly rate — the base wage you’re paid per hour, before any premiums.
2. Add in non-discretionary bonuses or commissions earned that week, divided across your total hours, to find your true “regular rate.”
3. Log your hours worked each day for the full workweek, including any partial hours.
4. Check your state’s daily threshold (if any) and flag hours that exceed it for daily overtime or double time.
5. Check your weekly total and flag any remaining hours beyond 40 for weekly overtime.
6. Multiply overtime hours by 1.5 and double-time hours (where applicable, like California) by 2.
7. Add holiday or premium-day pay at the rate your employer’s policy or contract specifies.
8. Add every category together — regular, holiday, overtime, and double-time pay — for your gross weekly pay.

The Overtime Pay Calculator above runs exactly this logic automatically once you enter your hours.

Common Overtime Mistakes Employers Make

Unpaid overtime is one of the most common wage violations in the country — often because of these specific mistakes:

• Misclassifying employees as exempt based on job title alone, without applying the actual duties test.
• Offering “comp time” instead of cash — illegal for most private-sector non-exempt employees.
• Leaving bonuses and commissions out of the regular rate used to calculate overtime.
• Averaging hours across two weeks to avoid paying overtime in a 60-hour week followed by a 20-hour week.
• Requiring “off-the-clock” work — answering emails, prepping, or closing duties performed before or after a shift is clocked out.
• Rounding time unfairly — consistently rounding down arrival times or rounding up departure times.
• Ignoring daily overtime rules in states like California, Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado that require it regardless of weekly totals.

California, Alaska, Nevada & Colorado: State-Specific Overtime Rules

California has the most worker-protective overtime law in the country. Non-exempt employees earn 1.5x pay after 8 hours in a workday and 40 hours in a workweek, and double time after 12 hours in a single workday. California also has a unique “7th consecutive day” rule: if you work all seven days of your employer’s workweek, the first 8 hours on that 7th day are paid at 1.5x, and anything beyond 8 hours that day is paid at double time. [California Dept. of Industrial Relations]

Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado

Alaska and Colorado also require daily overtime — after 8 hours and 12 hours respectively — in addition to the standard 40-hour weekly rule, though neither state requires double time. Nevada’s daily overtime rule only applies to employees earning less than 1.5 times the state minimum wage; higher earners in Nevada fall back to the standard 40-hour weekly rule alone. Always confirm your specific state and local ordinances, since some cities add their own scheduling and overtime protections on top of state law.

Is Holiday or Premium Pay Required by Law?

No — neither federal nor state law requires extra pay simply for working a holiday or weekend. Holiday pay, weekend differentials, and other premium-day pay are matters of company policy, an offer letter, or a collective bargaining agreement, not a legal mandate. Where employers do offer it, 1.5x the regular rate is the most common standard, which is why this calculator applies a 1.5x multiplier whenever you flag a day as “Holiday / Premium.”

If your employer’s actual holiday premium is higher or lower than 1.5x, treat the calculator’s result as a starting estimate and check your handbook, offer letter, or union contract for the exact rate that applies to you.

When Do You Need an Employment Lawyer for Unpaid Overtime?

Most overtime disputes can start with a free government complaint, not a lawyer. You can file directly with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD), which can investigate and recover back pay on your behalf at no cost. [U.S. Department of Labor — WHD]

Consider speaking with an employment attorney instead, or in addition, if:

• The amount owed is significant — months or years of unpaid overtime can add up quickly.
• You suspect intentional misclassification — your employer knowingly labeled you “exempt” to avoid paying overtime.
• You were retaliated against for asking about unpaid wages or filing a complaint.
• The violation appears willful, which can extend your claim’s lookback period from two years to three under the FLSA.

Many employment attorneys handle unpaid wage claims on contingency, meaning you pay nothing unless they recover money for you.

Overtime Pay FAQ