Overtime Calculator
Compute overtime the way the Fair Labor Standards Act actually requires — including the nondiscretionary bonus that must be folded into your regular rate.
Overtime Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- Results are a model, not a quotation — an institution's own figures govern.
- Every input is an assumption; change one and the answer changes with it.
- Rounding is applied only at the display layer, so totals may differ by a cent from a statement that rounds each line.
In short: At $28 an hour for 46 hours plus a $200 production bonus, the FLSA regular rate is $32.35, not $28. Correct pay is $1,585.04, but the common method — base rate times 1.5 for overtime, bonus added on top — gives $1,572.00. That $13.04 weekly shortfall is $678.26 a year.
Formula
The premium is the extra half, not the whole 1.5×, because straight time on every hour is already counted. Adding a full 1.5× on top would double-count.
Worked Example
- Total all straight-time pay. $28 × 46 + $200 = $1,488.
- Divide by hours worked. $1,488 ÷ 46 = $32.35 — the FLSA regular rate, $4.35 above the base rate.
- Compute the premium. 0.5 × $32.35 × 6 overtime hours = $97.04.
- Add them. $1,488 + $97.04 = $1,585.04 of correct gross pay.
- Compare with the usual method. $1,120 + $252 + $200 = $1,572, so the shortfall is $13.04 — $678.26 across a year.
Analyst's note. This is among the most commonly mishandled calculations in payroll. The Fair Labor Standards Act defines the regular rate as all remuneration for employment divided by hours worked, and nondiscretionary bonuses — production, attendance, safety and shift bonuses — must be included. Only genuinely discretionary gifts may be excluded. Because most payroll systems apply 1.5× to the base rate and then add the bonus separately, the error is systematic rather than occasional, and it recurs every week a bonus is paid. Retroactive recalculation across a bonus period is required when the bonus is paid quarterly or annually.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- Runs entirely in your browser — no figure you type is transmitted or stored.
- Shows the full working, so every number can be traced and challenged.
- Free, unmetered and free of affiliate incentives.
Where it stops
- Generalised assumptions cannot capture every individual circumstance.
- Jurisdiction-specific rules and mid-year changes may not be reflected.
- A model output is not a substitute for a professional review of your position.
Practical Use Cases
Checking whether you have been paid correctly
Enter your actual hours and any production, attendance or shift bonus. If the engine's figure exceeds your payslip, the regular rate was probably not recomputed. Compare the annual effect before raising it with payroll.
Understanding what overtime is really worth
Six overtime hours a week lift annual earnings from $58,240 to $82,422 — a 41.5% increase for 15% more time. Convert that into an honest hourly figure with the Salary Calculator, which accounts for the hours you genuinely work.
Budgeting when overtime is variable
Overtime is the first thing cut in a downturn, so a budget built on it is fragile. Model your baseline on threshold hours only and treat overtime as surplus in the Budget Calculator.
Methodology & Editorial Standards
The engine implements the FLSA regular-rate method: all straight-time remuneration including nondiscretionary bonuses is divided by all hours worked, and the overtime premium is the incremental portion — half the regular rate at a 1.5 multiplier — applied to hours beyond the threshold. This is the legally correct approach for non-exempt employees in the United States. Discretionary bonuses, genuine gifts, expense reimbursements and certain premium payments may be excluded from the regular rate; the engine treats the bonus input as nondiscretionary, which is the conservative assumption. Double-time is computed on the base rate, matching most state and contractual schemes such as California's, though some agreements compute it on the regular rate instead. State rules including daily overtime thresholds are not modelled, and exempt employees are outside the scope entirely. This is not legal advice. The engine implements the standard published formula for this calculation. Inputs are validated for domain and sign before evaluation, and any undefined case returns an em-dash rather than a spurious value.
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Overtime Calculator — 20 Expert FAQs
20 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
How is overtime pay calculated?
Time and a half on hours beyond the threshold — but on the FLSA regular rate, not necessarily your base rate. With a $200 bonus in the week, the regular rate here is $32.35 rather than $28, making correct pay $1,585.04.
What is the FLSA regular rate?
All remuneration for employment in a workweek divided by all hours worked. It includes nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials and commissions, which is why it frequently exceeds the stated hourly rate.
Do bonuses have to be included in overtime?
Nondiscretionary ones must be — production, attendance, safety and quality bonuses among them. Only genuinely discretionary gifts may be excluded. Omitting them is the single most common overtime error in payroll.
Why is the premium only half the regular rate?
Because straight time on every hour worked is already counted in the base calculation. Adding the full 1.5 multiplier on top would pay those hours twice. The premium is the incremental half.
How much is my employer underpaying me?
On these figures $13.04 a week, or $678.26 a year — small weekly but material annually, and it recurs in every week a bonus is paid. Check your payslip against the engine's figure before raising it.
What if my bonus is paid quarterly?
It must be retroactively allocated across the weeks it covers, and overtime for each of those weeks recomputed. Employers frequently skip this step, which produces a larger cumulative shortfall than a weekly bonus would.
Am I entitled to overtime?
Only if you are classified as non-exempt. Exempt employees — typically salaried roles meeting duties and salary-threshold tests — are not. Misclassification is common and is worth checking, since it is the employer's obligation to get right.
What is double time?
Twice the base rate, required by some state laws and many union agreements beyond a daily or weekly hour threshold. Federal law does not require it, so it is governed by state rules or your contract.
Does overtime apply daily or weekly?
Federally it is weekly, above 40 hours. Some states, notably California, additionally require overtime beyond eight hours in a day, which can produce overtime even in a week under 40 hours. This engine models the weekly threshold.
Can my employer average my hours over two weeks?
No, not under the FLSA. Each workweek stands alone, so 50 hours one week and 30 the next produces ten overtime hours, not zero. A limited exception exists for certain healthcare and public-safety schedules.
Is overtime taxed at a higher rate?
No, though it often appears that way. It is taxed as ordinary income, but a larger paycheck can push withholding into a higher bracket temporarily, which reconciles at filing. The marginal rate did not change.
Does paid time off count toward the 40 hours?
Generally no. Overtime is owed on hours actually worked, so a week with eight hours of holiday pay and 36 worked usually generates no overtime despite totalling 44 paid hours.
What about travel time?
Travel during the working day is usually compensable; ordinary commuting is not. Overnight travel rules are more complex and depend on whether it falls within normal working hours. Include compensable travel in hours worked.
Is 41.5% more pay for 15% more time a good deal?
Financially it is efficient, since the premium rate exceeds your average rate. Whether it is worthwhile depends on what the additional 312 hours a year cost you elsewhere — a judgement no calculator can make.
Can I waive my right to overtime?
No. FLSA rights cannot be waived by agreement, and an employer cannot contract out of them even with your written consent. Agreements purporting to do so are unenforceable.
Is this overtime calculator free to use?
Yes. It is free, requires no account, and has no usage limits. ApexConverter is funded by contextual advertising, never by selling user data.
Is my data sent to a server?
No. The engine runs as Vanilla JavaScript inside your browser under our Zero-Server Client-Side Execution model. Your figures are computed locally and are never transmitted, logged, or stored.
How accurate is this calculator?
It applies the standard closed-form formula in IEEE-754 double precision, rounding only at the display layer. The engine is reconciled against an independent reference implementation before release.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes. The interface is mobile-first with numeric keypad hints and is tested down to a 320-pixel viewport with no horizontal scrolling.
Can I use it offline?
Largely, yes. Because computation is client-side, the page continues to calculate without a network connection once it has loaded.