Finance
Time and a Half Calculator
Overtime pay at 1.5× your hourly rate — plus double time, salary conversion, and total weekly gross pay. Type your numbers and the answer and steps update live.
Your pay
Your regular (straight-time) pay per hour
$
Time and a half — 1.5× the regular rate
Hours worked beyond the regular schedule
Straight-time hours for the week (usually up to 40)
Overtime pay
$240.00
1.5× rate · $30.00/hr
Regular pay
$800.00
Overtime pay
$240.00
Total gross pay
$1,040.00
Total hours
48 hr
Regular 77%Overtime 23%
Figures are gross (pre-tax). Taxes are withheld on total pay afterward.
Try an example
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The basics
What is time and a half?
Time and a half is the most common overtime premium in the United States: your employer pays you one and a half times your normal hourly wage for the extra hours. Under federal law it kicks in once you pass 40 hours in a workweek. The math is two short multiplications — find the higher rate, then pay the overtime hours at it.
OT rate = rate × 1.5
The overtime rate
First lift the wage by the multiplier. Time and a half uses 1.5; double time uses 2. The result is what each overtime hour is now worth.
$20 × 1.5 = $30.00/hr
OT pay = OT rate × hours
The overtime pay
Then multiply that higher rate by the number of overtime hours. Add it to your regular pay for the week and you have total gross pay before tax.
$30.00 × 8 = $240.00
Method
How to calculate time and a half by hand
Four steps take you from an hourly wage to a full week of gross pay.
- 1
Find your regular hourly rate
Start from your straight-time wage. Paid a salary? Convert it first — divide the annual figure by the hours you work in a year (usually 2,080).
$52,000 ÷ 2,080 = $25.00/hr - 2
Multiply by 1.5 for the overtime rate
Lift the regular rate by the time-and-a-half multiplier. Use 2 instead for double time.
$25.00 × 1.5 = $37.50/hr - 3
Multiply by the overtime hours
Count only the hours beyond your regular schedule and pay them at the higher rate.
$37.50 × 5 = $187.50 - 4
Add regular pay for total gross
Pay your regular hours at the normal rate and add the overtime pay on top.
($25.00 × 40) + $187.50 = $1,187.50
Worked examples
See it across pay situations
The same procedure handles an hourly week, a double-time holiday shift, and a converted salary. Switch tabs to follow each one.
A typical retail week — 40 regular hours plus 8 hours of time-and-a-half overtime.
Given rate = $15.00/hr, 8 OT hr at 1.5×
Overtime rate: $15.00 × 1.5 = $22.50/hr
Overtime pay: $22.50 × 8 = $180.00
Regular pay: $15.00 × 40 = $600.00
Total gross pay = $780.00
Rate chart
Time and a half for every hourly rate
Looking up “$15 time and a half” or “time and a half of $18”? Here is the overtime rate for every common wage, and the pay for a chosen number of overtime hours.
Multiplier
Overtime hours
| Hourly rate | 1.5× rate | Pay for 8 OT hr |
|---|---|---|
| $10.00/hr | $15.00/hr | $120.00 |
| $12.00/hr | $18.00/hr | $144.00 |
| $13.00/hr | $19.50/hr | $156.00 |
| $14.00/hr | $21.00/hr | $168.00 |
| $15.00/hr | $22.50/hr | $180.00 |
| $16.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $192.00 |
| $17.00/hr | $25.50/hr | $204.00 |
| $18.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $216.00 |
| $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $240.00 |
| $22.00/hr | $33.00/hr | $264.00 |
| $25.00/hr | $37.50/hr | $300.00 |
| $30.00/hr | $45.00/hr | $360.00 |
Pay shown is for the overtime hours alone — add your regular pay for total gross.
Where it applies
When overtime kicks in
Whether you earn the premium depends on the law that covers you and how your hours are counted.
Over 40 hrs/week
Federal (FLSA)
The baseline rule: non-exempt workers earn at least time and a half for hours past 40 in a single workweek, no matter how the days fall.
Daily overtime
State rules
Some states go further. California pays time and a half after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12 — check your state's own threshold.
Exempt vs non-exempt
Who qualifies
Hourly and non-exempt salaried staff usually qualify. Exempt employees who meet salary and duties tests generally do not.
By state
Where daily overtime triggers earlier
The federal rule — time and a half after 40 hours in a week — applies in every state. A few states add a stricter daily trigger, so you can earn the premium before you ever reach 40 for the week. These are the main ones.
| State | Daily overtime rule | 7th-day rule |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1.5× after 8 hrs/day; 2× after 12 hrs/day | 1.5× first 8 hrs on the 7th consecutive day; 2× beyond |
| Alaska | 1.5× after 8 hrs/day | — |
| Nevada | 1.5× after 8 hrs/day (for workers under 1.5× minimum wage) | — |
| Colorado | 1.5× after 12 hrs/day (or 12 consecutive hrs) | — |
| Oregon | Daily overtime in some manufacturing/mill settings | — |
| Most other states | No daily rule — follow the federal weekly threshold | — |
Always confirm with your state labor department — thresholds, exemptions, and industry carve-outs change. When a state and federal rule both apply, you get whichever pays more.
Worth knowing
Rules and pitfalls
A handful of details decide whether your overtime is calculated correctly.
50% premium
It is a half added on
Time and a half means the regular rate plus half of it again — a 50% bump per overtime hour, not a 150% one on top of normal pay.
By the workweek
Hours reset weekly
Federal overtime is measured per fixed workweek, not per pay period. Two short weeks cannot be averaged to dodge the 40-hour line.
Regular rate of pay
Bonuses can count
Non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials may have to be folded into the “regular rate” before the 1.5× is applied, raising the overtime rate.
Gross, not net
Tax comes after
Overtime is figured on gross pay. It is not taxed at a special rate — it just lifts your gross, which can move part of it into a higher withholding bracket.
Holidays vary
No federal holiday rule
There is no federal requirement to pay extra for holidays. Holiday or double-time pay is a matter of company policy or a contract.
Salaried ≠ exempt
Salary alone doesn't exclude you
Being paid a salary does not automatically bar overtime. Only employees who pass the exemption tests lose the right to it.
Reference
Overtime multipliers at a glance
The common premium rates and what each one does to a $20 wage.
| Name | Multiplier | On $20/hr | Typically when |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight time | 1× | $20.00 | Regular hours, up to 40/week |
| Time and a half | 1.5× | $30.00 | Over 40 hrs/week (federal) |
| Double time | 2× | $40.00 | State law or contract (e.g. 12+ hrs/day in CA) |
Compared
Time and a half vs double time
They sound similar but pay very differently. The split below shows how the same wage and hours land under each premium — and when each one actually applies.
rate × 1.5
Time and a half
The federal floor for overtime: a 50% premium on the regular rate for hours past 40 in a week. It is the rate most workers see, and the one the FLSA actually requires.
$20 × 1.5 = $30.00/hr · 8 hr = $240.00
rate × 2
Double time
A 100% premium — the rate fully doubled. No federal law requires it; it comes from state rules like California's 12-hour day or from a union contract or company holiday policy.
$20 × 2 = $40.00/hr · 8 hr = $320.00
On the same eight overtime hours, double time pays $80 more than time and a half here. Switch the tool's overtime-rate toggle to 2× to price your own scenario.
Common mistakes
Errors that shrink the check
Most overtime disputes come down to a few avoidable slips.
2.5× by accident
Multiplying the whole pay
Time and a half multiplies the rate, not the rate-times-hours total. Apply the 1.5× once, to the hourly figure.
OT hours only
Paying every hour at 1.5×
Only hours beyond the threshold get the premium. The first 40 stay at straight time, then the rest move to time and a half.
Round at the end
Rounding the rate too early
Rounding the overtime rate before multiplying by hours drifts the total. Keep the cents and round the final figure.
Right workweek
Mixing pay periods
Overtime is counted within each defined workweek. A biweekly paycheck still owes overtime for any single week that broke 40.
FAQ
Common questions
Time and a half is an overtime rate equal to 1.5 times your regular hourly pay. If you normally earn $20 an hour, time and a half is $30 an hour — a 50% premium — for every overtime hour you work.
Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate, then multiply that by the number of overtime hours. Overtime pay = hourly rate × 1.5 × overtime hours. For $20/hr and 8 OT hours: $20 × 1.5 = $30/hr, then $30 × 8 = $240.
Time and a half of $15 is $22.50 per hour (15 × 1.5). Eight overtime hours at that rate pay $180. The rate chart on this page lists the time-and-a-half rate for every common wage.
Under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must be paid at least time and a half for hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. Some states add daily rules — for example, California requires overtime after 8 hours in a day. Exempt salaried roles may not qualify.
Time and a half multiplies the regular rate by 1.5; double time multiplies it by 2. Federal law only requires time and a half over 40 hours a week. Double time is set by state law or an employment contract — California, for instance, requires it after 12 hours in a day.
It is calculated on your gross (pre-tax) hourly rate. Payroll taxes and other deductions are withheld afterward from your total gross pay, so the figures here are before any deductions.
It depends on whether the role is exempt. Non-exempt salaried workers are entitled to overtime — you convert the salary to an hourly rate first (annual salary ÷ total hours worked) and apply the 1.5× premium. Exempt employees, who meet salary and duties tests, generally are not.
Divide the annual salary by the hours worked in a year. At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks that is 2,080 hours, so a $52,000 salary is $25/hr, and time and a half is $37.50/hr. The Salary mode on the calculator does this for you.
Yes, in states with daily overtime rules. California, Alaska, and Nevada (among others) require time and a half after 8 hours in a single day even if your weekly total is under 40. The federal 40-hour rule still applies everywhere on top of that, and you receive whichever pays more.
Time and a half of $20 is $30 per hour (20 × 1.5). Eight overtime hours at that rate pay $240. At double time (2×) the same eight hours would pay $320 — $80 more. Use the rate chart on this page to look up other wages.
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Ugo CharlesBuilt and fact-checked against our editorial standards · Last updated June 2026
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