Overtime Calculator

If you're an hourly employee working more than 40 hours in a week, federal law requires your employer to pay you more for those extra hours. Not just the same rate — more. It's one of the foundational worker protections in U.S. employment law, and understanding exactly how it works can help you confirm you're being paid correctly, plan your earnings, and understand when something looks off on your paycheck.

Overtime for Salaried Non-Exempt Employees

Many people assume that being on salary means no overtime. That's not accurate. Salary describes how you're paid — a fixed amount per period regardless of hours. Exemption determines whether overtime applies. Many salaried employees are still non-exempt and must receive overtime pay.

For a non-exempt salaried employee, calculating the regular rate requires converting the weekly salary to an hourly equivalent. Divide the weekly salary by 40 hours (the assumed regular workweek). A $680 weekly salary produces a regular rate of $17.00 per hour. Overtime hours are then paid at $25.50 per hour ($17.00 × 1.5).

Some employers use a different method called the fluctuating workweek method (allowed under specific conditions), where the regular rate changes each week based on total hours worked — producing lower effective overtime rates. This is legal under certain conditions but requires clear advance agreement and that the employee genuinely receives a fixed salary regardless of how few hours are worked.

Related Calculators

• Hourly Pay Calculator
• Salary Calculator
• Take-Home Pay Calculator

The FLSA Rule: What Overtime Actually Requires

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires most employers to pay non-exempt employees at least 1.5 times their regular hourly rate for any hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. A workweek is defined as any fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods. It doesn't have to start on Monday. An employer can designate any day as the start of the workweek, and that designation needs to be consistent.

At $18.00 per hour, your overtime rate is $27.00 per hour (18 × 1.5). If you work 47 hours in a week, you're owed: 40 × $18.00 = $720.00 in regular pay, plus 7 × $27.00 = $189.00 in overtime pay. Total: $909.00 for that week. The overtime calculation is applied per workweek — you can't average hours across two weeks to avoid overtime pay.

Here's the thing: overtime is calculated on the workweek, not the day. Working 10 hours on a Tuesday doesn't automatically generate overtime pay — what matters is whether your total hours in the workweek exceed 40. Some states (California is the notable exception) have daily overtime rules, but federal law only triggers overtime at 40 weekly hours.

A Real-World Overtime Calculation

Miguel Torres, 38, from San Antonio, works as a licensed electrician at $29.50 per hour. During a busy installation project, he worked 52 hours one week. His paycheck should reflect: 40 regular hours × $29.50 = $1,180.00, plus 12 overtime hours × $44.25 (1.5 × $29.50) = $531.00. Total gross: $1,711.00.

But Miguel's employer was paying him a flat $29.50 for all 52 hours — $1,534.00. The shortfall was $177.00 for that single week. Across a 20-week busy season averaging 10 hours of overtime per week, that's $2,950 in underpayment — a real and actionable wage violation. Knowing how to calculate what he was owed was the starting point for addressing it.

Practical Steps if You Think You're Being Shortpaid

Start by calculating what you should have received using this calculator. Then compare that to your actual paycheck for the same period. Examine your pay stubs carefully — your regular hours, overtime hours, and rates should all be itemized.

If there's a discrepancy, raise it with your employer's payroll department first. Many overtime violations are errors rather than intentional theft. If you're not getting a satisfactory response, you can file a complaint with the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division — the process is free, and you can file confidentially. The statute of limitations for overtime claims is 2 years for standard violations and 3 years for willful violations, so time matters if you're considering a formal complaint.

Keep your own records. Note your start and end times daily. Text or email confirmations of hours worked when possible. Your documentation of actual hours worked will be the foundation of any wage claim.

Who's Covered — and Who Isn't

Not every employee is entitled to overtime pay. The FLSA distinguishes between "exempt" and "non-exempt" employees. Non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay. Exempt employees are not entitled to it.

Exemptions aren't based on whether you're paid salary or hourly — they're based on your duties and your pay level. The most common exemptions are executive, administrative, and professional employees who earn at least $684 per week ($35,568 per year as of the current federal threshold) and whose primary duties involve management, office work requiring advanced knowledge, or specialized education. Outside sales employees and certain computer-related workers also have specific exemptions.

The key is "primary duties." An employee classified as exempt because they're called a "manager" but who primarily performs the same work as hourly employees may not actually meet the duties test for exemption. Misclassification — intentional or not — is one of the most common wage violations. If you believe you've been misclassified, the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division investigates these complaints.

State Overtime Laws Can Be More Generous

The FLSA sets a federal floor, but states can and do provide stronger protections. California's daily overtime rules are the most notable: non-exempt California employees earn overtime (1.5x) for any hours over 8 in a single day, double-time (2x) for hours over 12, and double-time for all hours on the seventh consecutive workday in a week. This means a California employee working four 11-hour days gets 12 hours of overtime pay even if total weekly hours are only 44.

Alaska, Nevada, and some other states also have daily overtime provisions. If you work in one of these states, your employer must comply with both state and federal law — whichever provides greater protection applies.