Over 40 hours in a workweek
The federal FLSA rule: non-exempt employees get at least 1.5× their regular rate for every hour past 40 in a fixed seven-day workweek. Averaging two weeks together is not allowed.
Time and a Half Calculator
Time and a half is your hourly rate plus half of it again. Enter your rate to see the 1.5× figure, what each overtime hour adds, and what your week comes to with overtime in it.
What "time and a half" actually means
It is the plainest formula in payroll: your normal hourly rate, plus half of that rate again, for every hour that qualifies.
On $18.00 an hour, half the rate is $9.00. Add the two and an overtime hour pays $27.00 instead of $18.00 — the same hour of work, worth 50 % more. Ten overtime hours are $270.00, of which $90.00 is premium that would not exist on regular hours.
Time and a half = hourly rate × 1.5
Overtime pay = hourly rate × 1.5 × overtime hours
Time and a half for common hourly rates
The 1.5× and 2× rate for each hourly rate, and what eight overtime hours come to. Your own rate goes in the calculator above.
| Hourly rate | The extra half | Time and a half | Double time | 8 overtime hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | +$6.00 | $18.00 | $24.00 | $144.00 |
| $13.00 | +$6.50 | $19.50 | $26.00 | $156.00 |
| $14.00 | +$7.00 | $21.00 | $28.00 | $168.00 |
| $15.00 | +$7.50 | $22.50 | $30.00 | $180.00 |
| $16.00 | +$8.00 | $24.00 | $32.00 | $192.00 |
| $17.00 | +$8.50 | $25.50 | $34.00 | $204.00 |
| $18.00 | +$9.00 | $27.00 | $36.00 | $216.00 |
| $20.00 | +$10.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 | $240.00 |
| $22.00 | +$11.00 | $33.00 | $44.00 | $264.00 |
| $25.00 | +$12.50 | $37.50 | $50.00 | $300.00 |
| $30.00 | +$15.00 | $45.00 | $60.00 | $360.00 |
| $35.00 | +$17.50 | $52.50 | $70.00 | $420.00 |
Gross figures, before tax. Overtime is taxed like the rest of your pay — it is not taxed at a special rate, however different the paycheck looks.
How to calculate time and a half
Four steps, and the calculator above does all of them as you type.
-
Start with your hourly rate. On a salary, divide the yearly figure by the hours you are contracted to work in a year — that is the regular rate the premium is built on.
-
Halve it. Half of the rate is the premium: the part that only exists because the hour was overtime.
-
Add the two together for the overtime rate — rate + half = 1.5×. For double time, add the full rate instead.
-
Multiply by the overtime hours to get what they pay, then add your regular hours back for the gross week.
When time and a half applies
The rate is simple; when it is owed is the part that varies. Three rules cover most cases in the US.
Daily overtime in some states
A handful of states pay overtime by the day as well as the week — California is the best-known, with 1.5× after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12. Check your own state before assuming the weekly rule is the only one.
Holidays and weekends: usually contract, not law
No federal US law requires extra pay for a Saturday, a Sunday or a public holiday. When those hours pay time and a half it is because a contract, a union agreement or company policy says so — the calculator handles them the same way.
Outside the US the rules differ completely — several countries set their own statutory premiums, and some pay a higher multiplier after the first few overtime hours.
Double time vs time and a half
Same idea, bigger premium — and far less common.
Time and a half (1.5×)
The standard overtime rate: the hour plus half of it. On $18.00 that is $27.00 an hour.
Double time (2×)
The hour paid twice: on $18.00 an hour, $36.00. Rarely required by law — California's over-12-hours rule is the main US example — but common in contracts for holidays and seventh consecutive days.
Switch the multiplier in the calculator to price either one, or type your own if your agreement uses something else.
Who checks a time and a half calculator
Employees checking a paycheck
Confirm the overtime line before you query it: what the hours should have paid, and how much of it is premium.
Managers approving hours
See what an extra shift costs before you approve it — the premium is the part that a schedule change can avoid.
Payroll and bookkeeping
Convert an hourly rate into overtime and double-time rates for any multiplier your agreements use.
Shift workers planning a week
Work out what picking up two more shifts adds to the week before you say yes.
The overtime line is only as good as the hours behind it
WebWork tracks start times, breaks and overtime automatically, so the hours that reach payroll match the hours that were worked.
No credit card | Cancel anytime
From the rate to the timesheet
A rate is one multiplication; the hard part is knowing exactly which hours crossed the line. WebWork records the week as it happens and flags the hours past the threshold — see how tracking employee work hours turns shifts into a timesheet payroll can use.
Try WebWork freeOvertime you can prove, not estimate
A calculator prices the hour. WebWork records the hour it was.
Employee timesheet software
Timesheets that fill themselves from tracked time — with approvals, edits and payroll-ready exports.
See timesheet softwareEmployee payroll tracker
Tracked hours turned into payroll-ready totals, with rates, overtime and payments built in.
See payroll trackingEmployee time clock software
A digital time clock for shifts, breaks and overtime that turns punches into timesheets.
See the time clockStaff time tracker
Your team's hours, attendance and workload from one dashboard — from small teams to whole departments.
See the staff time trackerTime and a half — frequently asked questions
Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5. On $18.00 an hour that is $27.00 — your rate plus $9.00. For the pay, multiply that by the number of overtime hours: eight overtime hours at $18.00 come to $216.00.
$27.00 an hour. The half on top is $9.00, so every overtime hour pays $9.00 more than a regular one. Ten of them add $90.00 in premium alone.
It means each qualifying hour is paid at one and a half times the normal rate — the hour itself, plus half the hour again as a premium. "Double time" works the same way with the hour paid twice.
In the US, the FLSA requires it for non-exempt employees after 40 hours in a workweek. Some states add a daily rule — California pays 1.5× after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12. Weekends and public holidays carry no federal premium at all: when they pay extra, it is a contract or company policy doing it, not the law.
At $18.00 an hour it is $216.00, of which $72.00 is the premium. The pattern holds for any number of hours: multiply the 1.5× rate of $27.00 by the hours.
No. Overtime is ordinary taxable pay — the same brackets and the same deductions. A big overtime week can push a single paycheck into a higher withholding band, which makes it look over-taxed, but that evens out over the year rather than costing you a special overtime tax.
Turn the salary into an hourly rate first: divide the annual figure by the hours you are contracted to work in a year (2,080 for a 40-hour week). Multiply that regular rate by 1.5. Whether you are owed overtime at all depends on your exemption status, not on being salaried.
Often, yes. Under the FLSA the "regular rate" behind the 1.5× includes non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials and commissions — not just the base rate. That makes the true overtime rate slightly higher than base × 1.5 in weeks that include them, so use the blended rate as your input here.
The multiplier. Time and a half pays 1.5× the regular rate, double time pays 2×. Time and a half is the statutory US overtime rate; double time is mostly contractual, appearing for holidays, seventh consecutive days, or — in California — hours past 12 in a day.
The FLSA sets no limit for adults: it prices overtime rather than capping it. Limits come from state law for minors, from safety rules in specific industries (drivers, aviation, healthcare in some states), or from your contract. Other countries do cap weekly hours outright.
In the US private sector, no — comp time instead of overtime pay is generally not allowed for non-exempt employees; public-sector employers may use it under specific rules. Elsewhere, time off in lieu is common and often the default. Check the rules that apply where you work before agreeing to it.
Yes — free, unlimited, no sign-up. It runs in your browser, so your rate never leaves your device.