Time and a Half Calculator
Calculate your time and a half overtime rate and earnings in one click. Enter your base hourly wage and overtime hours — we'll show your 1.5x rate, total overtime pay, and a weekly comparison at 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 hours.
Time and a Half Results
Weekly Earnings Breakdown
See how your weekly gross pay scales when overtime kicks in past 40 hours. Hours above 40 are paid at 1.5x your base rate.
| Hours worked | Regular pay (≤40h) | Overtime pay (>40h) | Total weekly gross |
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What Is Time and a Half?
Time and a half means earning 1.5 times your regular hourly rate. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt workers must receive time and a half for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Some states have stricter rules — California requires overtime after 8 hours in a single day, and Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado have similar daily-overtime triggers.
How to Calculate Time and a Half
The formula is simple: multiply your base hourly rate by 1.5. So a $20/hr employee earns $30/hr for every overtime hour. If they work 5 overtime hours, that's $150 in overtime pay on top of their $800 regular weekly wage.
How This Calculator Works
This tool runs the federal overtime formula in two steps. First it finds your premium rate by multiplying your base hourly wage by 1.5 — the multiplier the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets for overtime. Then it multiplies that premium rate by the overtime hours you entered to get your overtime earnings. In plain math: overtime rate = base rate × 1.5, and overtime pay = (base rate × 1.5) × overtime hours. The weekly breakdown table takes it one step further, splitting each row into the first 40 hours paid at straight time and every hour past 40 paid at the 1.5x rate. That mirrors how the FLSA actually works: overtime is owed on hours beyond 40 in one workweek, not on a daily basis — unless your state imposes its own daily rule.
A Worked Example
Suppose you earn $18.00 an hour and work 48 hours in a week. Your time-and-a-half rate is $18.00 × 1.5 = $27.00 per hour. The first 40 hours are straight time: 40 × $18.00 = $720.00. The 8 overtime hours pay $27.00 × 8 = $216.00. Your gross for the week is $720.00 + $216.00 = $936.00. Those 8 overtime hours earned $216 instead of the $144 they would bring at straight time — the extra $72 is the overtime premium the FLSA guarantees non-exempt workers. In my years processing payroll, that premium is exactly where I see the most underpayment errors, so it is worth checking against your own stub. — Carla Mendez
What Affects Your Result
- FLSA exemption status. Exempt salaried employees (executive, administrative, and professional roles above the salary threshold) are not owed overtime at all, so the 1.5x rate would not apply to them.
- State daily-overtime laws. California, Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado require time and a half after 8 hours in a single day, which can trigger overtime even in a week under 40 hours.
- Your true regular rate. Non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, and shift differentials must be blended into your hourly rate before applying the 1.5 multiplier, raising your real overtime rate.
- How the workweek is defined. Overtime is measured against a fixed, recurring 168-hour workweek your employer designates — not a calendar week or pay period.
- Paid leave. Vacation, sick, and holiday hours generally do not count toward the 40-hour threshold because they aren't "hours worked."
- Union contracts. Collective bargaining agreements can set richer overtime terms than the federal floor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is time and a half required by law?
For non-exempt employees, yes. The federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires 1.5 times the regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. States may add daily overtime rules, but none pays less than this federal minimum.
Do salaried employees get time and a half?
Only if they are non-exempt. Salaried workers who meet the FLSA's duties tests and earn above the salary threshold are exempt and owed no overtime. Many salaried employees below that threshold are still entitled to time and a half.
Does time and a half apply to weekends or holidays?
Not automatically. Federal law ties overtime to crossing 40 hours in a workweek, not to which day you work. Weekend or holiday premium pay is only required if a state law, union contract, or company policy provides for it.
Are bonuses included when calculating time and a half?
Non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions must be added into your regular rate before multiplying by 1.5. That makes your effective overtime rate higher than your base wage, so your true overtime pay can exceed a simple base-rate estimate.