Straight-time pay
Start with regular hours and an hourly rate to establish the base paycheck.
Free payroll tool
Overtime Pay Calculator
An overtime pay calculator estimates straight-time pay, overtime pay, and total earnings when an hourly employee works beyond a normal schedule. This free overtime calculator helps you calculate time-and-a-half, double time, pay-period totals, and annual earnings in a faster, cleaner format.
Use it to compare time-and-a-half and double-time pay, turn weekly hours into a paycheck estimate, and sanity-check overtime totals before payroll runs.
Time-and-a-half
Flip overtime hours to a 1.5x rate when an employee moves past the normal limit.
Double time
Use 2x pay for employer policies, holidays, or California double-time planning.
Pay period view
Convert weekly hours into weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly earnings.
Build your overtime estimate
Enter the hourly rate, separate regular and premium hours, and compare payroll totals across multiple pay periods.
How to calculate overtime pay
These are the practical steps payroll teams, managers, and hourly workers usually follow when they need a quick overtime estimate.
Step 1
Enter the hourly rate and state
Start with the employee's straight-time hourly rate and pick the state rule set you want to plan around.
Step 2
Add regular and overtime hours
Separate straight-time hours from premium hours so the calculator can show a cleaner payroll breakdown.
Step 3
Choose the multiplier and pay period
Switch between time-and-a-half or double time and convert the result into weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly pay.
Step 4
Review the breakdown and annual projection
Compare regular pay, overtime pay, total pay, and the annualized earnings view before you run payroll or approve a timesheet.
Frequently asked questions
Common answers for employees, managers, and payroll operators checking overtime rules and paycheck totals.
What is overtime pay?
Overtime pay is premium pay earned when an hourly employee works beyond the threshold that applies to the job, employer policy, or state rule. In many cases that means time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek, but some states and employers also use daily overtime or double time.
How do you calculate time and a half?
Multiply the straight-time hourly rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate, then multiply that overtime rate by the number of overtime hours worked. For example, $20 per hour becomes $30 per overtime hour.
When should I use double time in the calculator?
Use double time when a policy, contract, holiday schedule, or state rule pays a premium at 2x the employee's normal hourly rate. California is the most common example for general payroll planning because some daily hours can move from time-and-a-half to double time.
Does the state selector change the overtime calculation?
The state selector changes the rule guidance shown on the page and can add California-specific double-time inputs. It also helps you compare your entered premium hours against the most common weekly overtime threshold for that state profile.
How do pay periods change the result?
The calculator starts with weekly hours and then converts that weekly estimate into the pay period you choose. Weekly uses one week of wages, biweekly uses two weeks, semi-monthly uses an average 24-paycheck year, and monthly uses an average 12-paycheck year.
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