Free Time and a Half Calculator
Enter your hourly rate and hours worked to see your regular pay, overtime (1.5x), and double-time (2x) breakdown.
Hourly Rate
Hours Worked This Week
Overtime Threshold
Double-Time Hours
California requires 2x pay after 12 hours in a day. Some employers pay 2x on holidays. Double-time hours are capped to your total hours worked.
Estimates only. Not tax or legal advice. Consult a tax professional for accuracy.
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Understanding Time and a Half Pay
What "Time and a Half" Means
"Time and a half" is shorthand for 1.5 times your normal hourly rate. If you make $20 an hour, your time-and-a-half rate is $30. The phrase comes from the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which set the overtime premium at 50% above the regular rate.
When Overtime Kicks In
Federal law (FLSA Section 207) requires 1.5x pay for hours past 40 in a workweek. That's a fixed 168-hour period — your employer picks when it starts. Hours from one week don't roll into the next. You could work 30 hours one week and 50 the next, and only the second week triggers overtime.
Double-Time: Who Gets It?
Double-time (2x your rate) isn't required by federal law. California is the main state that mandates it: you earn 2x after 12 hours in a single day or for any hours past 8 on the seventh consecutive workday. Some union contracts and employer policies also include double-time for holidays or extreme shifts, but that's negotiated, not legally required.
How to Calculate Your Overtime Pay
Multiply your regular rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate. Then multiply by overtime hours. At $18/hr working 48 hours: you get 40 × $18 = $720 in regular pay, plus 8 × $27 = $216 in overtime. Total gross: $936. Your effective hourly rate for that week works out to $19.50/hr — higher than your base because of the overtime premium.
Who Qualifies for Overtime?
Non-exempt employees — mostly hourly workers — qualify for FLSA overtime. "Exempt" employees (salaried workers in executive, administrative, or professional roles above a salary threshold) generally don't. The Department of Labor sets the exemption salary floor; as of 2025, it's $58,656 per year. If you're paid hourly, you're almost certainly non-exempt and owed overtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about time and a half, overtime, and double-time pay.
How do I calculate time and a half?
Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5. At $20/hr, time and a half is $30/hr. Multiply that by the number of overtime hours to get your overtime pay.
What is double-time pay?
Double-time is 2x your regular hourly rate. At $20/hr, double-time is $40/hr. Federal law doesn't mandate double-time, but California requires it after 12 hours in a day, and some employers offer it on holidays.
When does overtime start?
Under federal law (FLSA), overtime starts after 40 hours in a workweek. Some states have lower thresholds or daily overtime rules. California triggers overtime after 8 hours in a single day.
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?
No. Overtime is taxed as regular income — there's no special overtime tax rate. It may push some of your earnings into a higher tax bracket, but only the dollars above that threshold are taxed at the higher rate.
Do salaried employees get overtime?
It depends. Salaried workers classified as "non-exempt" do get overtime. But those classified as "exempt" — executive, administrative, or professional roles above the DOL salary threshold — generally don't.
What is an effective hourly rate?
Your effective hourly rate is your total gross pay divided by total hours worked. If you earn $1,100 for 50 hours of work, your effective rate is $22/hr — higher than your base rate because overtime pulls the average up.
Can my employer avoid paying overtime?
Not legally, if you're non-exempt. The FLSA requires overtime pay for eligible workers. Some employers misclassify workers as exempt to avoid it, which violates federal law. If you think you're misclassified, contact the Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
Need More Than a Quick Calculation?
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