How the Overtime Calculator works
You enter hours day by day for the week plus a base rate, then choose which rule applies. The calculator splits every hour into three buckets — regular, overtime at 1.5×, and double time at 2× — and prices each bucket separately before summing to gross pay.
Under the federalrule, only the weekly total matters. Hours up to 40 are regular and everything past 40 pays 1.5×, no matter how those hours were distributed. The custom rule works identically against whatever weekly threshold you set, which is useful for union agreements with a different trigger.
Under the Californiarule the split happens per day first: the first 8 hours are regular, hours 9 through 12 pay 1.5×, and anything past 12 pays 2×. The weekly 40-hour rule is then applied to the regular hours that survive that daily split, so a worker can collect overtime in a week that never reaches 40 total hours. Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado carry daily overtime rules of their own, and the tool flags those states when you select them.
Worked example: four 10-hour days plus one 4-hour day is 44 hours at $32. Under federal, that is 40 regular and 4 overtime — $1,280 plus $192, or $1,472 gross. Under California, each 10-hour day yields 8 regular and 2 overtime, giving 36 regular and 8 overtime — $1,152 plus $384, or $1,536. The same 44 hours costs $64 more in California, and the gap widens with every long day on the schedule.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states require daily overtime?
California, Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado have daily overtime rules on top of the federal weekly threshold. In those states an employee can earn overtime in a week with fewer than 40 total hours, simply by working a long day. The rest of the country follows the federal rule alone, where only hours past 40 in a week trigger the premium.
How does California overtime differ from federal?
Federal pays 1.5x for hours past 40 in a week. California pays 1.5x for hours past 8 in a day and 2x for hours past 12 in a day, then applies the weekly 40-hour rule to whatever regular hours remain. Four 10-hour days plus a 4-hour day is 44 hours: federal produces 4 overtime hours, California produces 8, because each 10-hour day contributes 2.
When does double time apply?
Under the California rule in this calculator, hours past 12 in a single day pay at 2x. A 14-hour day breaks into 8 regular, 4 at time and a half, and 2 at double time. There is no federal double-time requirement — that premium comes from state law or from a union agreement.
Why is overtime assigned to the end of the week?
Under the federal and custom rules the calculator fills regular hours first and pushes the overtime onto the latest days worked. The total pay is identical no matter which days carry the premium, since the weekly threshold is what matters. The day-by-day breakdown is there so the split is visible on a timesheet, not because the ordering changes the cost.