What is an overtime pay calculator?
An overtime pay calculator estimates gross regular and overtime pay from hours, a regular hourly rate and an overtime multiplier. This NumberMotive tool is a planner. It does not decide whether overtime is legally owed, whether a person is exempt or nonexempt, or whether the Fair Labor Standards Act covers a job.
Use it to see how a weekly scenario adds up. Confirm actual pay with payroll records and the official sources listed on this page.
How to calculate overtime pay
This calculator uses one model: straight-time pay for every hour worked, plus an overtime premium on overtime hours. The premium uses the multiplier minus one so overtime hours are not paid twice. With a $20.00 rate, 40 regular hours, 5 overtime hours and a 1.5 multiplier, straight-time earnings are $900.00, the overtime premium is $50.00 and the weekly gross estimate is $950.00. That matches $800.00 of regular pay plus $150.00 of overtime pay at 1.5 times the rate when no additional compensation is included.
Enter your own hours, rate and multiplier in manual mode. Federal baseline mode, when available, splits total weekly hours using the approved federal rule set instead of asking you to label regular and overtime hours.
Regular pay vs. overtime premium
Straight-time earnings pay every counted hour at the hourly rate used in the estimate. The overtime premium is the extra amount above straight time for overtime hours. Adding those two pieces avoids double-counting the base rate on overtime hours. The result is still an estimate, not a statement that those hours legally count as overtime.
What is the regular rate?
Under federal guidance, the regular rate is generally total remuneration for employment in a workweek, except certain exclusions, divided by hours worked. What belongs in that figure depends on the facts. This calculator does not classify bonuses, commissions or differentials for you. If you include an amount in the regular-rate calculation, the tool divides straight-time earnings plus that amount by total hours to produce an adjusted rate for the overtime premium only.
How additional compensation may affect the estimate
Optional weekly items can be included in the regular-rate calculation, added after overtime, or excluded. The legal treatment of bonuses, commissions, differentials and other payments depends on the facts. Select a planning treatment or consult the official guidance. The tool does not invent a statutory inclusion or exclusion for a labeled bonus.
Manual planning mode vs. federal baseline
Manual planning applies the regular hours, overtime hours and multiplier you type. It does not apply an automatic legal threshold. Federal baseline mode uses the approved US-FED rule set: a 40-hour workweek baseline and a 1.5 multiplier taken from 29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1) as retrieved for this version. That mode is disabled if the rule is missing, unapproved, expired, due for review or otherwise fail-closed. Manual mode remains available in those cases.
Why this calculator does not determine eligibility
Coverage, exemptions, job duties, salary tests, contractor status and many industry rules sit outside a weekly arithmetic model. The tool will not say that you are entitled to overtime, that an employer owes pay, that a practice is illegal, or that anyone is exempt or covered. Those questions belong to official guidance and qualified professionals.
Federal rules vs. state and local rules
Some states and localities use daily overtime, different weekly thresholds or other protections. This version does not evaluate those rules and does not claim that every hour over 40 is overtime everywhere. If state or local law is more protective, review that law separately. This calculator does not apply a federal baseline as if it were a state rule.
What counts as hours worked?
Federal materials discuss hours worked as time an employee is suffered or permitted to work. This calculator does not decide waiting time, travel, on-call time, meal breaks or other hour-counting questions. Enter the hours you want to model. A workweek is treated here as a planning period of at most 168 hours.
What this calculator does not include
- FLSA coverage or exemption determinations
- Employee or independent-contractor classification
- State or local overtime rules
- Multiple rates, day rates, piece rates, fluctuating workweek, tipped pay or public-sector compensatory time
- Taxes, net pay, back pay, damages, penalties or payroll filing
Official sources and rule dates
The automatic federal baseline is taken from 29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1) as retrieved from the U.S. Code on August 24, 2026, together with U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division Fact Sheet #23, the WHD overtime overview and Fact Sheet #56A on the regular rate. The Rule status panel lists the effective date used for this version, the last review, the next review and the source links. eCFR Title 29 Part 778 was not captured in this cycle because the host presented a CAPTCHA.
Limitations of this calculator
- Results are planning estimates based only on the numbers and treatments you enter.
- Automatic federal parameters are used only while the versioned rule is approved and current.
- An expired rule does not fall back to an old multiplier.
- A rule due for review is also fail-closed. That state is not the same as expired, and it also does not fall back to an old multiplier.
- Repeating workweeks does not calculate legal back pay.
- Scenarios are not saved, emailed or sent to analytics.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate overtime pay?
Enter a regular hourly rate, regular hours, overtime hours and a multiplier in manual mode. This tool pays every hour at straight time and then adds an overtime premium of (multiplier − 1) on overtime hours. With $20.00, 40 regular hours, 5 overtime hours and 1.5, the weekly gross estimate is $950.00. Federal baseline mode, when available, splits total weekly hours using the approved federal rule set.
What is an overtime multiplier?
The multiplier is the factor applied to overtime hours in your planning scenario. 1.5 means time and a half relative to the rate used for the premium. In manual mode you choose the multiplier. The calculator does not treat any multiplier as a universal legal rate.
What is time and a half?
Time and a half means 1.5 times the regular rate for overtime hours. Federal statute text retrieved for this version states compensation of not less than one and one-half times the regular rate for hours in a workweek longer than forty. Manual mode does not assume that 1.5 applies to every job.
Does every hour over 40 qualify for overtime?
No. This calculator does not conclude that every hour over 40 is overtime. Coverage, exemptions, what counts as hours worked and state or local rules can change the answer. Federal baseline mode only splits hours for a supported single-rate weekly planning scenario.
Does this calculator determine whether I am exempt?
No. It does not classify anyone as exempt or nonexempt and does not apply duties tests, salary tests or other exemption rules.
What is the regular rate?
The regular rate is a federal pay concept that generally starts from total remuneration for employment in a workweek, except certain exclusions, divided by hours worked. This calculator uses the hourly rate you enter and any additional compensation you choose to include. It does not decide legal inclusions or exclusions.
Can bonuses affect overtime pay?
They can, depending on the facts. Turn on additional weekly compensation and choose a planning treatment: include in the regular-rate calculation, add after overtime, or exclude. The tool does not decide whether a bonus is discretionary or legally included.
Can commissions affect the regular rate?
They can, depending on the facts and how commissions are allocated. If you allocate a commission amount to the workweek, choose a treatment for this estimate. The calculator does not allocate commissions across multiple weeks.
Does this calculator include state overtime rules?
No. State or local law may use different or more protective overtime rules. This version does not evaluate state or local requirements.
Does this calculator calculate daily overtime?
No. It models a single workweek. It does not calculate daily overtime, seventh-day rules or other local hour-counting systems.
Does this calculator include taxes?
No. Results are estimated gross pay for the scenario. The tool does not estimate income tax, payroll tax, withholdings or net pay.
Can I use this calculator for back pay?
No. Repeating a weekly estimate across similar workweeks is a planning convenience. It does not calculate legal back pay, damages, penalties or interest.
What is the difference between manual mode and federal baseline mode?
Manual mode uses the hours, rate and multiplier you enter and does not apply an automatic legal threshold. Federal baseline mode uses the approved US-FED rule set to split total weekly hours and to supply the multiplier. Federal mode is unavailable if the rule is not approved and current.
Why might the federal mode be unavailable?
Automatic mode is fail-closed. It turns off when the rule is missing, not approved, disabled, not yet effective, expired, due for review, missing an official source or missing required parameters. Due for review is not the same state as expired; both turn automatic mode off. Manual planning remains available.
Where can I review the official rules?
Use the official source links in the Rule status panel, including 29 U.S.C. § 207 from the U.S. Code and U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division overtime materials. NumberMotive is not a government agency.
Is this result an official payroll calculation?
No. It is a planning estimate for informational purposes only. It does not replace payroll software, a wage claim or professional advice.