US · 2026
Overtime calculator: time and a half
Short answer
Time and a half is 1.5 times the regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek, under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. At $20 an hour, overtime pays $30 an hour, so a 50-hour week is $800 plus $300: $1,100 before tax. California also pays overtime after 8 hours in a day, and double time after 12.
| Line | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40 | $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime (1.5×) | 10 | $30.00 | $300.00 |
| Gross pay for the week | 50 | $1,100.00 |
Worked example: a 50-hour week
An employee paid $20 an hour works 50 hours in one workweek, with no bonus. Under the federal rule, the first 40 hours are straight time and the last 10 are overtime at one and a half times the rate.
| Line | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40 | $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime (1.5×) | 10 | $30.00 | $300.00 |
| Gross pay for the week | 50 | $1,100.00 |
The $300 overtime line is $200 of straight time plus a $100 premium (10 hours at half of $20). Payroll often shows it as one line at $30 an hour. The $100 premium is the figure that matters for the federal overtime deduction, because only the part above the regular rate counts there.
In California the same hours worked as five 10-hour days give the same $1,100: 2 hours a day over 8 is 10 hours of daily overtime, and the remaining 40 straight-time hours don't trigger weekly overtime on top. Work them as four 12.5-hour days instead and California pays 2 hours of double time (the half hour over 12 on each day), which the federal rule never requires.
When a bonus changes the overtime rate
Overtime is 1.5 times the regular rate, and the regular rate isn't always the hourly rate. A non-discretionary bonus, one promised in advance for production, attendance or hitting a target, is part of the pay for the hours worked, so it raises the rate the overtime is based on. A discretionary gift, such as an unannounced holiday bonus, doesn't.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Straight time: 46 hours × $12 | $552.00 |
| Plus the production bonus | $46.00 |
| Regular rate: $598 ÷ 46 hours | $13.00 an hour |
| Overtime premium: 6 hours × $6.50 (half of $13) | $39.00 |
| Gross pay for the week: $552 + $46 + $39 | $637.00 |
Without the bonus the same week would be $552 plus 6 hours at $6, so $588. The bonus adds $46 and also adds $3 of overtime. Enter the bonus in the calculator's optional field to see this for your own figures.
California daily overtime and double time
California is the best-known state with daily overtime. Its Labor Code section 510 sets the rates below for non-exempt employees aged 18 or over (and 16- and 17-year-olds not required to attend school). Pick “California” in the calculator and enter the hours for each day of the workweek.
| Hours | Rate |
|---|---|
| Over 8 and up to 12 in a workday | 1.5× the regular rate |
| Over 12 in a workday | 2× the regular rate |
| Over 40 straight-time hours in the workweek | 1.5× the regular rate |
| First 8 hours on the seventh day in a row worked in the workweek | 1.5× the regular rate |
| Over 8 hours on that seventh day | 2× the regular rate |
A few other states have their own daily or weekly overtime rules. Where a state law pays more than the FLSA, the employer pays the higher amount. This calculator covers the federal rule and California only; for any other state, check its labor department's overtime page.
Is overtime taxed more?
No. Overtime is wages, taxed the same way as the rest of the paycheck: federal income tax withholding, 6.2% social security and 1.45% Medicare in 2026. A paycheck with overtime can lose a larger share to withholding because the whole check is bigger, and the withholding tables treat it as if every check were that size. Any excess comes back when the employee files their return.
For tax years 2025 to 2028, eligible employees can deduct the FLSA premium part of their overtime on their federal return, up to $12,500 a year ($25,000 on a joint return). Payroll withholding doesn't change unless the employee gives the employer a new Form W-4. The calculator shows each week's FLSA premium, and the no-tax-on-overtime calculator estimates the deduction for the year.
The official method, step by step
- Count the hours worked in one workweek: a fixed run of 168 hours, seven days in a row, that the employer sets. Each workweek stands alone, so hours are never averaged over two weeks.
- Hours up to 40 are paid at the regular rate. Hours over 40 are paid at least 1.5 times the regular rate: the straight-time pay for the hour plus a premium of half the rate.
- If the employee also earned a non-discretionary bonus for the week, add it to the straight-time pay and divide by all hours worked. That is the regular rate, and each overtime hour earns an extra half of it.
- California adds daily rules: 1.5× for hours over 8 and up to 12 in a workday, 2× over 12, and on the seventh day in a row worked in the workweek, 1.5× for the first 8 hours and 2× after that. Hours already paid as daily overtime don't count again toward the weekly 40.
- Gross pay for the week is the regular pay, the overtime and double-time pay, and the bonus added together, before any tax.
What this leaves out
- Exempt employees (executive, administrative, professional and others), who aren't owed FLSA overtime
- Other states' daily or weekly overtime rules, and alternative workweek schedules in California
- Several rates in one week (a weighted-average regular rate), piece rates, tips and shift differentials beyond one hourly rate
- California's regular rate for a flat-sum bonus, and meal or rest period premiums
- Tax: hand the week's gross to the hourly paycheck calculator or the pay stub generator for withholding
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Fact Sheet #23, Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (1.5× the regular rate over 40 hours in a workweek; each workweek stands alone) (read October 7, 2026); 29 CFR 778.110, Hourly rate employee (regular rate with a production bonus: $12 an hour, 46 hours, $46 bonus → $13 regular rate, $637) (read October 7, 2026); California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner's Office: Overtime FAQ (Labor Code section 510: daily overtime over 8 hours, double time over 12, seventh consecutive day) (read October 7, 2026).
Overtime calculator: common questions
How do you calculate time and a half?
Multiply the regular hourly rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate, then multiply that by the hours worked over 40 in the workweek. At $18 an hour, time and a half is $27, so 6 overtime hours pay $162 on top of $720 for the first 40 hours.
What is time and a half for $15 an hour?
$22.50 an hour. Each overtime hour is $15 of straight time plus a $7.50 premium. Five overtime hours add $112.50 to the $600 a 40-hour week pays.
Is overtime calculated per week or per pay period?
Per workweek. The FLSA looks at each fixed seven-day workweek on its own, so 30 hours one week and 50 the next means 10 overtime hours, even on a biweekly paycheck of 80 hours.
Is double time required by federal law?
No. The FLSA requires at least 1.5 times the regular rate over 40 hours a week. Double time comes from state law, such as California's rule for hours over 12 in a day, or from a contract or company policy.
Do salaried employees get overtime?
Some do. Being paid a salary doesn't by itself make someone exempt; the employee must also meet the salary and duties tests for an exemption, such as the executive, administrative or professional ones. A non-exempt salaried employee is owed overtime on the regular rate their salary works out to.
Does a bonus change the overtime rate?
A non-discretionary bonus does. Add it to the week's straight-time pay and divide by all hours worked to get the regular rate; each overtime hour then earns an extra half of that rate. In the Department of Labor's example a $46 bonus over 46 hours raises a $12 rate to $13.
Is overtime taxed more than regular pay?
No. Overtime is taxed as ordinary wages. A large paycheck can show more withholding because the tables assume every check is that size. From 2025 to 2028 the FLSA premium part of overtime can also be deducted on the employee's federal return.
Can I make a pay stub from this?
Yes. “Make a pay stub for this week” opens the pay stub generator with the week's gross pay as weekly pay. Split it into regular and overtime lines with their hours and rates there, and add the tax.
Need a pay stub for this pay?
Free to create and preview. No account or card.