- What is time and a half?
- Time and a half is a wage premium equal to 1.5× your regular hourly rate. In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires most non-exempt employees to be paid at this rate for any hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. Some states (California, Alaska, Nevada) also apply it after 8 hours in a single day, regardless of the weekly total.
- How do I calculate time and a half?
- Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5. A $20/hr employee earns $30/hr in overtime. Then multiply that overtime rate by the number of overtime hours worked: $30 × 5 OT hours = $150 overtime pay. Add it to your regular pay (hourly × straight-time hours) to get the gross for the week.
- What's the overtime rate on a $20 hourly wage?
- $30 per hour. The math: $20 × 1.5 = $30. Worked 5 hours of overtime that week? You earned $150 in overtime pay on top of your $800 in regular pay — $950 gross before withholding.
- Is time and a half required for hours over 40 every week?
- Under federal FLSA, yes — for non-exempt employees. The 40-hour threshold is weekly, not daily, and it doesn't reset across weeks. If you worked 45 hours one week and 35 the next, you're owed 5 hours of overtime — the average doesn't matter. Some states (CA, AK, NV) add a daily 8-hour threshold on top of the weekly one.
- Who is exempt from overtime pay?
- The FLSA exempts executive, administrative, professional, outside-sales, and certain computer-related roles — collectively called "white-collar exemptions." To qualify, the employee usually has to earn at least $684/week ($35,568/year) on a salary basis and meet a job-duties test. If you're paid hourly, you're almost certainly non-exempt and eligible for overtime.
- Does this include taxes and deductions?
- No. The total gross is your pay before federal income tax, state tax, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and any benefits, retirement, or wage garnishments. Use a paycheck calculator if you need net (take-home) pay.
- What about double time?
- Double time (2× the hourly rate) isn't required by federal law — FLSA stops at time and a half. Some states, union contracts, and individual employers do offer it: California requires double time for hours over 12 in a single workday or for the 7th consecutive workday. Check your state's rules or your employment contract.
- How is overtime calculated for salaried non-exempt workers?
- Compute the regular hourly rate first: divide the weekly salary by the standard hours it covers (usually 40). Then apply the same 1.5× multiplier. A salaried worker earning $1,000/week for 40 hours has an effective hourly rate of $25, so their overtime rate is $37.50/hr.
- Why doesn't the payroll software show me this?
- Most payroll systems (ADP, Gusto, Rippling) calculate it correctly behind the scenes but only show the final paycheck breakdown to the employer admin. Employees usually see a finished pay stub with line items, not the underlying math. This calculator skips the middleman so you can check the result yourself in seconds.
- Is my data saved?
- No. The calculation runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server, logged, or stored. Close the tab and the inputs disappear.
