Federal weekly estimate

Overtime Calculator

Estimate federal weekly overtime pay from an hourly base rate and the hours worked in one workweek. Two equivalent methods are shown side by side, and a second mode illustrates how additional weekly compensation you choose to include may change the regular-rate estimate. Everything is calculated on your device.

Simple weekly estimate

Enter an hourly base rate and the hours worked in one workweek. Federal overtime applies to hours over 40 in that workweek.

$ Hourly base rate

Plain numbers only, up to two decimal places.

Hours entry

Total hours worked in the workweek

Up to 168 hours in a workweek.

Illustrative calculation, based on the figures you entered

Enter an hourly base rate and hours to see an estimate. With zero hours or zero rate, every amount stays at zero.

Total weekly hours: 0
Regular hours: 0
Federal overtime hours: 0
Hourly base rate: $0.00
Overtime multiplier: 1.5×
Illustrative regular rate: Not available with zero hours
Straight-time earnings for all hours: $0.00
Additional compensation: $0.00
Additional overtime premium: $0.00
Estimated gross weekly earnings: $0.00
Difference from pay without the overtime premium: $0.00
Monthly illustration: $0.00
Annual illustration: $0.00

Monthly and annual amounts assume the same hours and compensation every week.

This calculator estimates overtime under the general federal FLSA weekly overtime framework. It does not determine whether the worker or employer is covered by the FLSA. It does not determine exempt or nonexempt status. State, local, union, industry and employment-contract rules may differ. California is mentioned only as an example; its daily and seventh-day rules are not calculated. Results are educational estimates, not legal, tax or payroll advice.

Method A and Method B

Method A separates regular earnings from overtime earnings at 1.5×. Method B pays straight time for every hour, then adds the 0.5× overtime premium. They express the same arithmetic and should agree within $0.01 after currency rounding.

Method A — regular earnings (regular hours × rate): $0.00
Method A — overtime earnings (overtime hours × rate × 1.5): $0.00
Method A total: $0.00
Method B — straight-time pay for all hours: $0.00
Method B — overtime premium (× 0.5): $0.00
Method B total: $0.00

Both methods agree within $0.01.

Self-prepared federal overtime illustration. Not a wage determination, legal opinion or finding that overtime is owed.

State law

This page estimates federal weekly overtime only. State law may require more. As an example, California has additional daily and seventh-day overtime rules that are not estimated here.

Limitations

· Federal weekly overtime arithmetic only, based on the figures you entered.
· No California daily or seventh-day overtime, and no other state, local, union-contract or industry-specific rule.
· No exemption, coverage or classification test of any kind.
· No determination of which payments belong in the regular rate.
· No tax, withholding or deduction estimate on this page.

Official Department of Labor sources

Every rule this page applies, with the official source it comes from. Only current primary U.S. Department of Labor material is used, plus one state agency page shown as an example of additional state rules.

Federal overtime is generally owed for hours worked over 40 in a workweek
U.S. Department of Labor — Overtime Pay
Current agency guidance page · status current
Overtime hours are generally paid at one and one-half times the regular rate of pay
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #23, Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA
Revised December 2019 · status final
The regular rate is an hourly figure derived from total includable weekly remuneration divided by total hours worked in that workweek
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #56A, Overview of the Regular Rate of Pay Under the FLSA
Revised December 2019 · status final
Whether a bonus, commission, differential or other payment must be included in the regular rate depends on the payment
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #56C, Bonuses Under the FLSA
Revised December 2019 · status final
PaycheckVista does not determine whether any payment you enter must be included in the regular rate.
Exempt and nonexempt status depends on legal tests, not on a calculator, a job title or an income figure
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #17A, Exemption for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Computer and Outside Sales Employees
Revised current edition · status final
This calculator does not apply any exemption test.
State law may require more than federal law, including additional daily or seventh-day rules
U.S. Department of Labor — State Labor Offices
Current agency directory · status current
Example only of a state with additional daily and seventh-day overtime rules that this federal calculator does not estimate
California Department of Industrial Relations — Overtime
Current agency guidance page · status current
Hours worked in the workweek is the basis for the federal calculation
U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #22, Hours Worked Under the FLSA
Revised July 2008 · status final

DOL overtime guidance DOL Fact Sheet #23 DOL regular-rate guidance DOL exemption guidance

How the federal weekly calculation works

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime is generally owed for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, at one and one-half times the regular rate of pay. The regular rate is an hourly figure, not simply a posted wage: it is derived from the includable remuneration for that workweek divided by the hours worked in it.

This page applies that arithmetic and nothing more. It does not apply any exemption test, does not decide which payments belong in the regular rate, and does not estimate state, local, union-contract or industry-specific rules. For those questions, read the DOL Fact Sheet #23, the regular-rate overview and the exemption guidance.

Monthly and annual figures are illustrations only. They repeat one workweek across 52 weeks, which rarely matches a real year of hours.

Regular hours versus overtime hours

The federal illustration treats up to 40 hours as regular hours and only the workweek hours above 40 as overtime hours. Daily entries are summed once; a long day does not create federal daily overtime in this tool.

Method A versus Method B

Method A adds regular pay and overtime pay at 1.5×. Method B adds straight-time pay for every hour and a separate 0.5× premium for overtime hours. The two methods describe the same arithmetic and should match within one cent after rounding.

Bonuses and other compensation

Certain bonuses, commissions, differentials or other payments may affect the regular rate. Their treatment depends on the payment and applicable law. Mode 2 illustrates an amount you choose; it does not decide that the amount must be included.

Coverage, exemptions and official help

Coverage and exempt or nonexempt status require facts this calculator does not evaluate. For a specific situation, contact the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division or an official state labor office.

Paycheck Calculator
Take the weekly gross figure further and estimate withholding, deductions and take-home pay.
Hourly-to-Salary Calculator
Convert an hourly rate and weekly schedule into annual, monthly and per-pay-period illustrations.
Paycheck Analyzer
Check the math on a paycheck you already received, line by line.
Employer Payroll Cost Calculator
Estimate employer payroll taxes and selected employment costs separately from this overtime illustration.
W-2 vs 1099 Calculator
Compare employee wages with contractor revenue, including benefits, costs and self-employment tax.
Job Offer Comparator
Weigh up to three offers on guaranteed cash, benefits, costs and non-cash factors.
Paystub Generator
Prepare a self-prepared paystub document. This is a document-preparation tool only. PaycheckVista does not verify employment, income or identity, and a self-prepared document is not employment or income verification.

Filling out a Form W-4?

2026 W-4 Assistant

Overtime can push a paycheck into more withholding. The assistant explains how each 2026 Form W-4 step affects the amount withheld, including the per-paycheck extra withholding box.

Overtime questions

What this federal estimate covers, and the decisions it deliberately leaves to official sources.

How is federal overtime calculated here?

Regular hours are the lesser of your total workweek hours and 40. Federal overtime hours are the hours above 40. Regular hours are multiplied by your hourly base rate, and overtime hours are multiplied by the rate and 1.5. The same figure can be reached by paying straight time for every hour and adding a half-time premium on the overtime hours.

Does this tell me whether overtime is owed to me?

No. This page estimates overtime arithmetic only, based on the figures you entered. It does not determine whether a worker is covered, exempt, nonexempt or legally entitled to overtime, and it is not a wage determination or legal opinion.

Does a long single day create overtime?

Not under the federal calculation used here. Federal overtime is generally based on hours over 40 in a workweek. Some states, including California, may have additional daily or seventh-day rules that this federal calculator does not estimate.

What about bonuses, commissions or shift differentials?

Mode 2 lets you include an additional weekly amount you have independently decided to include, and shows how the regular-rate estimate changes. Whether a payment must be included depends on the payment and applicable law, and PaycheckVista does not determine inclusion.

Is anything I enter stored or sent anywhere?

No. Every figure is calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is placed in the address bar, browser storage, cookies, analytics or any external request, and the form never asks for a name, employer, job title, identification number or upload.

What are common overtime-calculation mistakes?

Common mistakes include applying federal overtime after eight hours in one day, counting the same overtime hours twice, or assuming every bonus or payment is treated the same. This calculator uses one federal workweek and leaves payment inclusion and state-law questions to official guidance.

When should I contact a labor agency?

Contact the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division or the appropriate state labor office when you need guidance about coverage, exemptions, the regular rate, state rules or a specific workplace situation. PaycheckVista does not make those determinations.

Calculations are estimates for informational purposes and are not tax, legal, or financial advice. Actual withholding and take-home pay may differ.