Overtime Pay Calculator
Extra hours look different on paper than they feel in the deposit. Before taxes, eight hours of overtime at time-and-a-half can add a few hundred dollars to a week's check — but a meaningful portion gets withheld, and the hours themselves have a cost. This calculator shows the gross number: your regular weekly pay, your overtime pay, and the combined total before any deductions. Enter your hourly wage, your regular hours, your overtime hours, and the multiplier your employer uses (typically 1.5).
How It Works
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most non-exempt hourly employees are entitled to at least 1.5× their regular rate for all hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Some states go further — California requires overtime after 8 hours in a single workday, not just 40 in a week. Check your state rules if you're unsure which threshold applies to you.
This calculator applies your chosen multiplier to all overtime hours entered. The result is gross pay — before federal and state income tax, FICA, and other withholdings. Overtime hours are taxed at your marginal rate for that paycheck, which is often higher than your effective annual rate because payroll estimates withholding per-check.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — standard week with OT. $22/hr. 40 regular + 8 OT at 1.5×. Regular: $880. OT: $264. Total gross: $1,144. Eight extra hours add $264 before taxes.
Example 2 — higher wage, fewer OT hours. $35/hr. 40 regular + 4 OT at 1.5×. Regular: $1,400. OT: $210. Total gross: $1,610.
Example 3 — double time (some industries and states). $20/hr. 40 regular + 6 OT at 2.0×. Regular: $800. OT: $240. Total gross: $1,040.
When to Use This Calculator
Use before agreeing to overtime or when checking a pay stub that includes extra hours:
- Before saying yes to overtime — knowing the gross number helps you decide whether the extra hours are worth the tradeoff, especially when combined with take-home pay estimates.
- When verifying a pay stub — check that the OT hours you worked are paid at the right rate. Errors aren't rare.
- When comparing a salaried offer to an hourly role — if the salaried job has an implied expectation of long hours, the effective hourly rate may be lower than a transparent hourly role. Use this with the Salary to Hourly Calculator.
- When budgeting variable income — OT isn't guaranteed week to week. Run a base scenario (no OT) and a high scenario to understand your income range.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is overtime pay taxed at a higher rate?
Not technically — all income is taxed at the same marginal brackets. But when a paycheck is higher because of overtime, payroll systems withhold more that period because they estimate your annual income based on that pay period's gross, pushing you into a higher projected bracket. You may get some of that back at tax time, but the per-check deposit for an OT week will feel lighter than expected.
Am I entitled to overtime pay?
Depends on your classification. Most hourly workers are "non-exempt" under FLSA and are legally entitled to 1.5× for hours over 40 per workweek. Many salaried workers are classified as "exempt" and are not entitled to overtime, regardless of hours worked. If you're unsure of your classification, check your offer letter or ask HR — misclassification is not uncommon.
What if my employer offers comp time instead of overtime pay?
Private-sector employers are generally required to pay cash overtime for non-exempt employees — not comp time. Comp time in lieu of overtime is largely a public-sector practice. If you're a private-sector non-exempt employee being offered comp time instead of OT pay, it's worth understanding your rights under FLSA.