Overtime Pay Calculator
Overtime starts after 40 hours in a single week, and each week stands on its own. An employer cannot average a quiet week against a busy one to avoid paying it - and this shows you exactly what that would cost.
You are owed
-
- Overtime hours in total
- 0
- Your overtime rate
- $0
- Hours worked in total
- 0
- Averaged across every hour
- $0
- If your weeks were wrongly averaged
- $0
Where the money goes
The split shows how much of the total is overtime hours in total and how much is hours worked in total.
Move it and watch
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at {v} for hourly rate
And what you can change
Why your own figure may differ
Week by week
Each week is worked out on its own. That is the rule, and it is the whole reason a quiet week cannot cancel out a busy one.
| Week | Hours | Normal pay | Overtime hours | Overtime pay | Week total |
|---|
Normal pay = hours up to the weekly limit x your rate. Overtime pay = hours above the limit x your rate x the multiplier. Each week is calculated separately and the results added - never averaged first.
Overtime pay: real examples
Three situations worth checking your payslip against. Click any card to load it.
- One busy week
45 hours at $20 an hour
Five hours past the line.
You are owed $950 - $800 for the first 40 hours, then $150 for five hours at time and a half.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - The averaging trap
30, 30, then 60 hours
Three weeks that average out to 40.
You are owed $2,600. An employer averaging the weeks would pay $2,400 - $200 short, and not allowed.
Load this scenario in the calculator → - A heavy month
60 hours a week at $15
Long weeks, low rate.
Each week pays $1,050, which across 60 hours averages just $17.50 an hour. Long weeks pay less per hour than they feel like.
Load this scenario in the calculator →
Common questions about overtime pay
When does overtime start?
Under the federal rule it starts after 40 hours in a single week. Not after 8 hours in a day, and not after 80 hours in a fortnight. Some states are more generous and add a daily rule on top, so check yours - but 40 hours a week is the floor everywhere.
Can my employer average my hours across weeks?
No. Each week stands on its own under the federal rule. If you work 30 hours one week and 60 the next, you are owed 20 hours of overtime, even though the average is 45. Averaging the two weeks to avoid paying it is not allowed, and the tool shows you exactly what that would cost you.
What is time and a half, exactly?
Your normal hourly rate multiplied by 1.5, paid on every hour past 40. If you earn $20 an hour, overtime hours pay $30. It is not a bonus on top of your normal pay for those hours - the $30 replaces the $20.
Does a salary mean I never get overtime?
No, and this is a widespread and expensive misunderstanding. Being paid a salary does not by itself remove your right to overtime. Whether you are exempt depends on what you actually do and what you are paid, not on how the pay arrives.
What if my pay includes a bonus?
Certain bonuses have to be folded into your rate before overtime is worked out, which raises the overtime rate. If you get regular production or attendance bonuses, your overtime may be being underpaid. That is worth asking about directly.
What can I do if I think I am owed overtime?
Keep your own record of hours worked, week by week, with dates. Then raise it with your employer in writing. If that goes nowhere, the Department of Labor takes wage complaints and you do not need a lawyer to file one.
The guide behind this calculator
The 40-hour weekly rule and the time-and-a-half rate come from 29 CFR Part 778 - Overtime Compensation, read from the regulation itself and checked 2026-08-17. State rules can be more generous than the federal floor but never less.