How overtime is calculated
Federal law (the FLSA) pays overtime by the week: hours over 40 h in a workweek earn at least 1.5 times your regular rate. It has no daily overtime.
California adds daily overtime. Hours over 8 h in a workday are paid at ×1.5, hours over 12 h at ×2, and weekly overtime starts after 40 h of straight-time hours. Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again toward the weekly total.
Example
You earn $20.00 an hour and work 13 h, 10 h, 8 h, 8 h in one workweek.
- Federal rules: 39 h at ×1 — $780.00.
- California rules: 32 h at ×1, 6 h at ×1.5, 1 h at ×2 — $860.00.
Pick Day by day in the calculator to see the split for your own week.
What this calculator does not cover
- Exempt employees, who are not owed overtime. The calculator assumes you are non-exempt.
- Bonuses, commissions and shift differentials, which can raise your regular rate. Enter your full regular rate if you know it.
- California alternative workweek schedules (for example four 10-hour days) adopted by an employee vote.
- States not listed above. Many states follow the federal rule; some have their own.
Sources
- Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (revised October 2019)
- 29 U.S.C. 207 — Maximum hours (United States Code, 2024 Edition)
- 29 CFR 778.104 — Each workweek stands alone
- Fact Sheet #17A: Exemption for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer & Outside Sales Employees (revised September 2019)
- Minimum Wage Standard and Overtime Hours (summary of AS 23.10.050 – 23.10.150, last updated November 13, 2025)
- Wage And Hour - Employees' Frequently Asked Questions
- Voluntary Flexible Work Hour Plan
- California Labor Code section 510
- Overtime (FAQ)
- DLSE Enforcement Policies and Interpretations Manual
- Understanding AB 60: An In Depth Look at the Provisions of the "Eight Hour Day Restoration and Workplace Flexibility Act of 1999" (DLSE memo, 1999)
- California Labor Code section 556
- State Minimum Wage Laws (Colorado entry, Premium Pay After Designated Hours)
- 7 CCR 1103-1-4 — COMPS Order, Rule 4 (Overtime)
- 7 CCR 1103-1-1 — COMPS Order, Rule 1 (Authority and Definitions)
- 7 CCR 1103-1-2 — COMPS Order, Rule 2 (Coverage and Exemptions)
- COMPS Order Poster & Notice, effective 1/1/2026
- NRS 608.018 Compensation for overtime: Requirement; exceptions (statute copy, history through 2019)
- State of Nevada Daily Overtime 2022 Annual Bulletin (posted April 1, 2022)
- NRS 608.0126 — "Workday" defined
- NRS 608.018 — Compensation for overtime: Requirement; exceptions
Not legal or tax advice. Overtime rules have exceptions. Check with your state labor department for your situation.
Questions
How is overtime pay calculated?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, hours over 40 h in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times your regular rate. Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5 and by your overtime hours, then add your regular pay.
Does California pay overtime after 8 hours a day?
Yes. California pays ×1.5 for hours over 8 h in a workday and ×2 for hours over 12 h, as well as weekly overtime after 40 h.
What is the seventh-day rule in California?
If you work all seven days of a workweek, the first 8 h on the seventh day are paid at ×1.5 and any hours after that at ×2.
Can I calculate overtime for two weeks at once?
Work out each workweek on its own. Federal rules do not allow hours to be averaged over two or more weeks, so 30 h one week and 50 h the next earns overtime in the second week: $1,700.00 in total at $20.00 an hour.
Does this include taxes?
No. The results are pay before taxes and other deductions.