Take a 50‑hour week at $20 an hour. The extra ten hours add $300 to the cheque. That $300 is the whole point of the law: make overwork expensive enough that an employer thinks twice before scheduling it.
The arithmetic is three multiplications stacked together. No government tables, no calculus.
Total Gross Pay = (Regular Hours × Regular Rate) + (Overtime Hours × Regular Rate × 1.5) + (Double‑Time Hours × Regular Rate × 2)
Everything below tells you which number belongs in which slot.
The standard overtime formula
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets a single weekly trigger: more than 40 hours in a fixed workweek. The overtime rate is at least 1.5 times your regular rate. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division enforces it.
Standard OT: Regular Rate × 1.5 × Overtime Hours
The workweek is any fixed, recurring block of seven consecutive 24‑hour days. The employer defines when it starts. No daily overtime exists under federal law, and no federal cap limits total hours for most adult workers.
Time and a half (1.5×)
How the multiplier works
Time and a half is the federal floor. Every overtime hour costs the employer 1.5 times a regular hour. The multiplier does not change based on how many overtime hours you work.
$15 an hour
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay (40 hrs) | Overtime Hours | OT Pay (1.5×) | Total Gross Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $600.00 | 0 | $0.00 | $600.00 |
| 45 hours | $600.00 | 5 | $112.50 | $712.50 |
| 50 hours | $600.00 | 10 | $225.00 | $825.00 |
| 60 hours | $600.00 | 20 | $450.00 | $1,050.00 |
$20 an hour
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay (40 hrs) | Overtime Hours | OT Pay (1.5×) | Total Gross Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $800.00 | 0 | $0.00 | $800.00 |
| 45 hours | $800.00 | 5 | $150.00 | $950.00 |
| 50 hours | $800.00 | 10 | $300.00 | $1,100.00 |
| 60 hours | $800.00 | 20 | $600.00 | $1,400.00 |
$25 an hour
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay (40 hrs) | Overtime Hours | OT Pay (1.5×) | Total Gross Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $1,000.00 | 0 | $0.00 | $1,000.00 |
| 45 hours | $1,000.00 | 5 | $187.50 | $1,187.50 |
| 50 hours | $1,000.00 | 10 | $375.00 | $1,375.00 |
| 60 hours | $1,000.00 | 20 | $750.00 | $1,750.00 |
$35 an hour
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay (40 hrs) | Overtime Hours | OT Pay (1.5×) | Total Gross Pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 hours | $1,400.00 | 0 | $0.00 | $1,400.00 |
| 45 hours | $1,400.00 | 5 | $262.50 | $1,662.50 |
| 50 hours | $1,400.00 | 10 | $525.00 | $1,925.00 |
| 60 hours | $1,400.00 | 20 | $1,050.00 | $2,450.00 |
Double time (2×)
Federal silence, state rules
Federal law never requires double time. Not one hour. The 2× rate comes from state law.
California imposes it in two situations: hours beyond 12 in a single day, and hours beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work. Alaska has a daily overtime threshold over 8 hours; confirm whether double‑time provisions apply with the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Nevada ties daily overtime eligibility to a wage ceiling that adjusts annually; a 2024 ballot measure may have changed coverage. Check the Nevada Office of the Labor Commissioner for the current threshold.
A California daily example
A California worker earning $20 an hour puts in 14 hours on a Tuesday.
- First 8 hours: 8 × $20 = $160.00
- Next 4 hours (overtime): 4 × $30.00 = $120.00
- Last 2 hours (double‑time): 2 × $40.00 = $80.00
- Total for the day: $360.00
The formula holds. You only need the correct state threshold to split the hours.
The regular rate of pay
Why your base wage is not always your regular rate
Most calculation errors start here. The FLSA defines the regular rate as total compensation divided by total hours worked. It is not simply the number printed on a job offer.
What the regular rate includes
- Hourly wages
- Salary (divided by hours worked)
- Commissions
- Non‑discretionary bonuses
- Shift differentials
- Piece‑rate earnings
What it excludes
- Discretionary bonuses
- Gifts
- Paid time off
- Expense reimbursements
- Benefit plan contributions
For a salaried non‑exempt employee, divide the weekly salary by the number of hours the salary is intended to cover. That quotient is the regular rate for that week.
Weighted average for multiple rates
When you work two jobs in one week
Work two different roles at two different rates in the same workweek? The law forbids picking the lower rate for the overtime hours. Use a weighted average.
Weighted Average Rate = Total Straight‑Time Earnings / Total Hours Worked
The four‑step process
- Calculate straight‑time earnings at each rate.
- Add them together.
- Divide by total hours worked to get the weighted average regular rate.
- Multiply that average by 1.5 for each overtime hour.
A concrete example
30 hours of data entry at $18 an hour, plus 20 hours of training at $24 an hour.
- Straight‑time earnings: (30 × $18) + (20 × $24) = $540.00 + $480.00 = $1,020.00
- Weighted average rate: $1,020.00 ÷ 50 hours = $20.40
- Overtime premium per hour: $20.40 × 0.5 = $10.20
- Overtime premium for 10 hours: $102.00
- Total gross: $1,020.00 + $102.00 = $1,122.00
The weighted average blocks a simple dodge: assigning the overtime hours to the cheaper job.
Fluctuating workweek (half‑time method)
How a fixed salary changes the math
Under the fluctuating workweek method, a non‑exempt employee receives a fixed weekly salary that covers straight time for all hours worked, however many or few. The regular rate therefore changes every week.
Overtime premium under fluctuating workweek: 0.5 × Regular Rate × Overtime Hours
Step by step
- Regular Rate = Weekly Salary ÷ Total Hours Worked
- Overtime Premium = 0.5 × Regular Rate × Overtime Hours
A salaried non‑exempt employee earns $800 a week and works 50 hours.
- Regular Rate = $800 ÷ 50 = $16.00
- Overtime Premium = 0.5 × $16.00 × 10 = $80.00
- Total Gross = $800 + $80 = $880.00
The salary already paid the straight‑time portion of every hour. Only the half‑time premium is added. This method is sometimes called "Chinese overtime," a colloquial label with no connection to China. Its legal status has been subject to regulatory change; confirm current permissibility with the U.S. Department of Labor before relying on it.
Quick reference
| Component | Formula | Example ($20/hr, 50 hrs) |
|---|---|---|
| Regular Pay | Regular Hours × Regular Rate | 40 × $20 = $800.00 |
| Overtime Pay | OT Hours × Regular Rate × 1.5 | 10 × $30.00 = $300.00 |
| Double‑Time Pay | DT Hours × Regular Rate × 2 | 0 × $40.00 = $0.00 |
| Total Gross | Sum of all components | $1,100.00 |
Avoid pyramiding
When both daily and weekly overtime triggers exist, apply the higher of the two. Do not pay the same hour twice. If Monday gives you 2 daily overtime hours and the week totals 48 hours, you already have 2 overtime hours from the daily rule. Only the remaining 6 weekly overtime hours are added. Double‑counting is pyramiding, and it is prohibited.
Handling minutes
Convert minutes to decimal hours before calculating. Fifteen minutes equals 0.25 hours.
Next checks
Pull your pay stub. If the formula was applied wrong, the gap compounds fast. A shortfall of $30 a week is $1,560 a year.
For salaried employees, the classification test matters more than the formula. Read the overtime pay for salaried employees guide. If you work multiple rates, the weighted average overtime guide walks through every step. And if you want the full procedure from hours‑worked to gross pay, the step‑by‑step calculation guide lays it out with worked examples.
The formula works. You just need the right numbers to feed it.