How time and a half works
“Time and a half” means you earn your normal hourly wage plus half of it again for every qualifying hour — an overtime rate of 1.5 times your regular rate of pay. The math is two steps:
- Overtime rate = regular hourly rate × 1.5
- Overtime pay = overtime rate × overtime hours
Add that overtime pay to your regular wages for the week and you have your total gross pay (before taxes). If you earn $16 an hour and work 46 hours, you get 40 hours at $16 ($640), plus 6 overtime hours at $24 ($144) — $784 total.
The FLSA baseline: overtime after 40 hours
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets the floor for most U.S. workers: covered, non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. A workweek is a fixed, recurring block of 168 hours (7 days) that your employer defines — it doesn't have to match the calendar week. There is no federal overtime requirement for working evenings, weekends, or holidays as such; only the over-40-hours threshold triggers it. A few states add daily overtime rules on top of the federal standard — see the state-by-state notes.
One important detail: overtime is computed on your regular rate, which can be higher than your base hourly wage if you also earn things like non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, or shift differentials. This calculator uses the hourly rate you enter; if your pay includes those extras, your true overtime rate may be slightly higher.
Worked examples
The same 10-hour block of overtime is worth very different money at different wages:
| Hourly rate | Time and a half rate | 10 OT hours pays | 45-hour week total |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $225.00 | $712.50 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $300.00 | $950.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $375.00 | $1,187.50 |
We precomputed this for every whole-dollar wage from $12 to $50 — jump straight to time and a half for your wage.
Exempt vs. non-exempt: who actually gets overtime
Overtime protection depends on how your job is classified under the FLSA:
- Non-exempt employees — most hourly workers, and some salaried workers — are owed at least time and a half over 40 hours per week.
- Exempt employees — typically salaried executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and certain computer roles that meet both a salary threshold and a duties test — are not owed federal overtime, no matter how many hours they work.
Job titles don't decide this; actual duties and pay structure do, and misclassification is a common wage dispute. Some states also set stricter exemption tests or daily overtime triggers. If you're unsure about your own status, the U.S. Department of Labor's overtime pages and your state labor department are the authoritative places to check — this site does the math, not legal classification.
Overtime and taxes in 2025–2028
Overtime has never been taxed at a special higher rate — it's ordinary income. And under the 2025 federal law often called “no tax on overtime,” eligible workers can now deduct the premium portion of FLSA overtime (the extra 0.5x) from federal taxable income, up to annual caps, for tax years 2025 through 2028. Estimate what that's worth to you with the no tax on overtime calculator.
Beyond 1.5x
Some situations pay more than time and a half. Double time (2x) shows up in California's daily overtime rules and in many union agreements — use the double time calculator. Holiday premiums are an employer-policy matter more than a legal one — the holiday pay calculator covers the common 1.5x and 2x setups. For a full paycheck with regular, overtime, and double-time hours together, use the overtime calculator.