Overtime Pay Calculator
Regular pay, overtime pay and total gross with a custom OT multiplier.
Total gross pay
$1,040.00
$240.00 from overtime
Regular pay
$800.00
Overtime pay
$240.00
OT rate
$30.00
AI Breakdown & Smart Takeaway
Plain-English insight on your numbers
Get a personalized explanation of what these results mean — and how to improve them.
How the Overtime Pay Calculator works
The Overtime Pay Calculator helps hourly workers and employers instantly compute regular pay, overtime pay, and total gross earnings for any pay period — including support for custom overtime multipliers beyond the standard time-and-a-half rate. Whether you're a freelancer verifying a paycheck, a manager processing payroll, or an employee tracking wages, this tool gives you a transparent, line-by-line breakdown in seconds.
At its core, the calculator separates your total hours worked into two buckets: regular hours and overtime hours. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the threshold at 40 hours per workweek — any hours beyond that qualify for overtime pay. You enter your hourly wage, your total hours worked, and the overtime multiplier (defaulting to 1.5 for the familiar 'time and a half' rate), and the tool does the rest. Regular pay is computed on up to 40 hours, while every hour above that is multiplied by your chosen rate.
The overtime multiplier is where this calculator gains real flexibility. Federal law mandates a minimum multiplier of 1.5, but many union contracts, state laws, and employer policies apply double time (2.0×) after a certain number of hours — for instance, California requires double time for hours exceeding 12 in a single workday and for all hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek. By letting you set a custom multiplier, the calculator accommodates these regional and contractual variations rather than locking you into a one-size-fits-all assumption.
A common mistake workers make is conflating gross pay with take-home pay. This calculator outputs your gross wages — the total before taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and any other deductions are taken out. Your net (take-home) pay will be lower depending on your tax bracket, filing status, and benefits deductions. Use this tool to verify your employer's math on gross pay; then consult a payroll or tax professional to understand what will actually land in your bank account.
Employers and managers can use this calculator proactively to model labor costs before scheduling. If hourly wages push employees into overtime territory, even a few extra hours per week can significantly increase payroll expenses — a 1.5× rate means each overtime hour costs 50% more than a regular hour, while double-time hours cost twice as much. Running projections helps businesses decide whether overtime is more cost-effective than bringing on additional part-time staff, which is a common strategic payroll decision.
Formula
Regular Pay = Hourly Rate × Min(Hours Worked, 40) Overtime Pay = Hourly Rate × OT Multiplier × Max(Hours Worked − 40, 0) Total Gross Pay = Regular Pay + Overtime Pay
Pro tips
- Always verify your overtime eligibility first — salaried employees classified as 'exempt' under the FLSA (generally earning above $684/week and meeting certain duties tests) are not entitled to overtime pay regardless of hours worked.
- If you work in California, Alaska, or Nevada, remember that overtime can be triggered on a daily basis (over 8 hours in a day), not just weekly — run the calculator separately for each day's hours if your state uses daily overtime rules.
- Use the custom OT multiplier field to enter 2.0 when calculating double-time pay, which kicks in under many union agreements and in California for hours beyond 12 in a single workday or on the seventh consecutive workday.
- To catch paycheck errors, calculate your expected gross pay before payday and compare it line-by-line with your pay stub — discrepancies in overtime pay are one of the most common payroll mistakes and are often correctable by simply notifying your HR or payroll department.
- When budgeting labor costs as an employer, remember that overtime hours also increase payroll tax liabilities (FICA contributions are based on gross wages), so the true cost of overtime exceeds the 1.5× wage factor alone.
Key terms
- Overtime Pay
- — Additional compensation earned for hours worked beyond the standard threshold (typically 40 hours per week in the US), calculated at a rate higher than the base hourly wage.
- Time and a Half
- — The most common overtime rate, equal to 1.5 times the employee's regular hourly pay, mandated as the minimum overtime rate under the US Fair Labor Standards Act.
- OT Multiplier
- — The factor by which the regular hourly rate is multiplied to determine the overtime pay rate; 1.5 is federally required, but contracts or state laws may set it higher (e.g., 2.0 for double time).
- Regular Pay
- — Earnings calculated for hours worked up to the standard threshold (40 hours/week) at the employee's base hourly wage.
- Gross Pay
- — Total earnings before any deductions such as income tax, Social Security, Medicare, or health insurance premiums are subtracted.
- FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act)
- — The US federal law that establishes minimum wage, overtime pay eligibility, and recordkeeping standards, requiring overtime at no less than 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 per workweek for covered non-exempt employees.
