Understanding your overtime pay result
| Multiplier | Common description |
|---|---|
| 1.5× | Standard 'time-and-a-half' — the FLSA federal minimum for covered nonexempt employees in the U.S. beyond 40 hours/week |
| 2.0× | 'Double-time' — used by some employer policies, collective bargaining agreements, or specific state rules for certain circumstances, beyond the FLSA minimum |
- This calculator applies a single overtime multiplier to all entered overtime hours; it does not model tiered overtime rules (e.g., different multipliers at different overtime thresholds) that some jurisdictions or agreements use.
- Whether a specific employee is entitled to overtime pay under the FLSA depends on exempt/nonexempt classification, which this calculator does not determine — it only computes pay given the hours and multiplier entered.
- Some states and localities have overtime rules that differ from or exceed the federal FLSA minimum; check applicable state labor law in addition to federal rules.
What is overtime pay?
Overtime pay is additional compensation, typically calculated at a multiple of an employee's regular hourly rate, owed for hours worked beyond a defined threshold in a workweek. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor, requires covered nonexempt employees to be paid at least one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek — the 1.5× convention this calculator defaults to.
The regular rate used for overtime calculations under the FLSA is not always simply the stated hourly wage; it can include certain other forms of compensation depending on the situation, which is why the Department of Labor publishes detailed guidance on calculating the regular rate for overtime purposes.
This calculator lets the overtime multiplier be adjusted, since some employer policies, union agreements, or jurisdictions outside the FLSA's standard 1.5× federal minimum use different multipliers or thresholds, including double-time provisions in certain circumstances.
How to use this overtime pay calculator
- Enter your regular hourly rate of pay.
- Enter the number of regular hours worked in the period (commonly up to 40 for a standard workweek).
- Enter the number of overtime hours worked beyond the regular threshold.
- Enter the overtime multiplier — 1.5 for standard time-and-a-half, or a different value if a specific policy or agreement applies.
- Read the total pay for the period, the overtime pay portion alone, and the effective overtime hourly rate.
- Example: at a $22 hourly rate with 40 regular hours and 8 overtime hours at a 1.5× multiplier, total pay is $1,144 — $880 in regular pay plus $264 in overtime pay, at an effective overtime rate of $33 per hour.
The formula behind overtime pay
Regular pay is simply the hourly rate multiplied by regular hours worked. Overtime pay multiplies the hourly rate by the overtime multiplier to get the overtime rate, then multiplies that by the overtime hours worked. Total pay sums the two.
Common mistakes
- Assuming all salaried employees are automatically exempt from overtime — FLSA exemption depends on specific duties and salary tests, not job title alone.
- Using the base hourly wage for overtime calculations when the applicable 'regular rate' should include certain other compensation, per Department of Labor guidance.
- Applying the federal 1.5× minimum without checking whether a specific state, locality, or union agreement requires a higher multiplier or a lower overtime threshold.
- Confusing gross overtime pay with net (take-home) pay — this calculator computes gross pay before taxes and other withholdings.
- Forgetting that overtime thresholds are typically calculated per workweek, not per pay period, which can span more than one workweek.
Domande frequenti
What is the standard overtime rate in the United States?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered nonexempt employees must generally be paid at least one and one-half times (1.5×) their regular hourly rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. This is a federal minimum enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor; some states and agreements require more favorable terms.
Are all employees entitled to overtime pay?
No. The FLSA overtime requirement applies to covered nonexempt employees; certain employees classified as exempt, based on specific salary and duties tests defined by the Department of Labor, are not entitled to FLSA overtime pay. Job title alone does not determine exempt status — the actual duties and compensation structure matter.
How is the 'regular rate' calculated for overtime purposes?
Under FLSA rules, the regular rate used to calculate overtime is not always identical to a stated hourly wage — it can include certain other forms of compensation in specific circumstances, according to Department of Labor guidance. This calculator uses the hourly rate entered directly as the regular rate, so verify with applicable guidance if additional compensation types need to be incorporated.
What is the difference between time-and-a-half and double-time?
Time-and-a-half refers to an overtime multiplier of 1.5×, the FLSA federal minimum for qualifying overtime hours, while double-time refers to a 2.0× multiplier sometimes used by specific employer policies, collective bargaining agreements, or state rules for particular circumstances beyond the federal minimum.
Does overtime apply per day or per week?
Under the FLSA, the standard federal overtime threshold (40 hours) applies on a per-workweek basis, not per day; some states have additional daily overtime rules that can differ from the federal weekly standard. Check applicable state labor law for any daily overtime requirements beyond the federal minimum.
Fonti
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Overtime Pay — Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requirements. dol.gov.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA. dol.gov.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Fact Sheet #17A: Exemption for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer & Outside Sales Employees. dol.gov.
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Overtime pay compliance basics for employers. shrm.org.