Overtime Calculator
Calculate overtime pay (1.5×, 2×, or custom), weekly/monthly/annual totals, and your effective hourly rate when OT is averaged in.
Hours at the base rate (typically up to 40)
Hours paid at the OT multiplier
FLSA federal standard is 1.5× above 40 hrs/week
52 minus vacation, holidays, unpaid leave
Your overtime pay
Weekly total
$1,375
$1,000 regular + $375 OT · 50 hrs at effective $27.50/hr
Monthly total
$5,729
Gross, before taxes
Annual total
$68,750
50 weeks × weekly
OT premium
$6,250
/yr — what OT adds vs straight time
Effective hourly rate: $27.50/hr. That's a 10.0% premium over your regular rate once OT is averaged across all 50 weekly hours. Useful framing for evaluating job offers (some employers will negotiate base higher in exchange for cutting OT expectations).
Some states have daily OT rules on top of the federal weekly rule. California pays 1.5× for hours over 8/day (and 2× over 12/day) regardless of weekly total. Alaska, Nevada, and a few others have similar daily triggers. This calculator uses the federal FLSA weekly rule (40 hrs/week → OT) — if you're in a daily-OT state your actual OT may be higher.
These are gross figures. OT can push you into a higher marginal bracket — though only the bracketed portion is taxed at the higher rate, not your whole income. To see what actually lands in your bank account, run the annual total through the Take-Home Pay Calculator.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your regular hourly rate — base pay before any OT.
- Enter regular hours per week — typically up to 40 (the FLSA threshold).
- Enter overtime hours per week — hours paid at the multiplier.
- Pick the multiplier — 1.5× is the federal standard; some unions, contracts, and state rules use 2× (“double time”) for specific situations.
- Enter weeks worked per year — 52 minus vacation, holidays, and any unpaid leave. The default of 50 leaves 2 weeks for time off.
The result shows your weekly total, monthly and annual projections, and the effective hourly rate once OT is averaged across all hours.
How it works
The math is straightforward but worth understanding:
Regular pay = hourly rate × regular hours
Overtime pay = hourly rate × multiplier × overtime hours
Weekly total = Regular pay + Overtime pay
For a $25/hr worker with 40 regular + 10 OT hours at 1.5×:
| Component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Regular pay | $25 × 40 | $1,000 |
| Overtime pay | $25 × 1.5 × 10 | $375 |
| Weekly total | $1,375 |
At 50 weeks/year: $68,750 annual. Compare to no OT (40 hrs × 50 weeks × $25 = $50,000) — the OT adds $18,750/year without you needing a raise. The OT premium alone (the amount above straight-time on the same hours) is $1,250/year at 10 hrs/wk.
Effective hourly rate
A useful framing for evaluating job offers: what’s your effective per-hour earning once OT is averaged in?
Effective hourly = Weekly total ÷ Total hours
= $1,375 ÷ 50 hrs = $27.50/hr
That’s a 10% premium over the base $25/hr. Some employers will negotiate a higher base in exchange for reducing OT expectations — useful framing when comparing offers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the federal overtime rule? ▾
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires non-exempt employees to be paid at least 1.5× their regular hourly rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. It's a weekly trigger, not a daily one — under federal law alone, a 12-hour day followed by four 8-hour days doesn't trigger OT because the weekly total stays at 44 hours (4 of which are OT). State laws may add a daily trigger on top (see the next question).
What states have daily overtime rules? ▾
California is the most well-known: 1.5× for hours over 8 in a single day, 2× for hours over 12 in a single day, and 1.5× for the first 8 hours on the 7th consecutive workday. Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado have similar daily-trigger rules with different thresholds. Most other states follow the federal FLSA weekly-only rule. If you're in a daily-OT state, your actual OT may be higher than this calculator shows — it uses the federal baseline.
Who is exempt from overtime? ▾
Exempt employees don't get OT regardless of hours worked. Common exemptions: executive, administrative, professional, computer, and outside sales roles paid on a salary basis above a threshold (currently around $35,568/year federal, much higher in some states). Truck drivers, agricultural workers, and certain other categories have specific exemptions. Most hourly workers are non-exempt and entitled to OT; most salaried workers in white-collar roles are exempt. Misclassification is common and creates legal exposure for employers.
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate? ▾
No — overtime is taxed at the same rates as regular income. The confusion comes from withholding: if a paycheck with OT is large, payroll systems may withhold at a higher rate (because they project the period's pay × the number of periods, which would put you in a higher bracket). The actual tax you owe at filing time is based on annual income, not paycheck-by-paycheck. Any over-withholding comes back as a refund.
Does the multiplier apply to other pay too? ▾
Generally just to the base hourly rate, but with some non-obvious wrinkles. Non-discretionary bonuses (commissions, productivity bonuses, shift differentials) must be included in the 'regular rate' used to calculate OT — meaning a $25/hr worker earning a $100 weekly commission has a regular rate of $27.50/hr (over 40 hrs), and OT is 1.5× that. Discretionary year-end bonuses don't count. This is a frequent FLSA compliance gap; if your employer pays you commissions or shift premiums, your OT rate may be higher than the base hourly figure suggests.
What if I'm not paid for time I worked? ▾
Off-the-clock work — answering emails, prep time, post-shift cleanup — is generally compensable if your employer 'suffered or permitted' it. Underpayment of OT is the single most common FLSA violation. If you believe you're owed OT, document the hours, request payment in writing, and if unresolved file a complaint with the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (free, confidential, anti-retaliation protected). Statute of limitations is 2 years (3 if willful).