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California Overtime Calculator
California pays overtime on the day, not just the week: 1.5× the regular rate past 8 hours in a day, 2× past 12 hours, special rules on the seventh consecutive day, and 1.5× past 40 hours in the workweek on top. So a $24.00 employee who works a 13-hour Tuesday earns 8 hours at $24.00, 4 hours at $36.00 and 1 hour at $48.00 for that day — even in a week under 40 hours. Enter each day below and the calculator splits the week into straight time, 1.5× and 2× without paying any hour twice. Working outside California? Switch to federal mode for the plain 40-hour rule.
California and federal overtime pay calculator
Calculate a week of California overtime pay
California mode asks for each day separately, because the state pays overtime on daily hours as well as weekly ones. Federal mode needs only two numbers: the hourly rate and the hours worked in the workweek. Enter hours as decimals like 9.5 or as 9:30.
| Day | Hours worked (h:mm or decimal) | Regular | Overtime (1.5×) | Double time (2×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Tuesday | 8.00 | 4.00 | 1.00 | |
| Wednesday | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Thursday | 8.00 | 1.00 | 0.00 | |
| Friday | 8.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Saturday | 6.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | |
| Sunday | — | — | — | |
| Week total 52.00 hrs | 40.00 | 11.00 | 1.00 | |
California mode applies only the rules stated in our California overtime compliance guide: 1.5× the regular rate for hours beyond 8 in a single day or for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day, and 2× the regular rate for hours beyond 12 in a single day or for all hours beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive day — plus overtime for hours over 40 in the week. Hours a daily rule already moved to a premium are not counted again toward the 40-hour weekly threshold, so no hour is paid twice. See California-ready timekeeping for how Chronotek Pro handles those workflows.
How California Overtime Works: 8 Hours, 12 Hours and the Seventh Day
The federal rule has one threshold: 40 hours in a workweek. California adds three more that operate on the day, which is why a California week can owe overtime even when it never reaches 40 hours. These are the rules the calculator applies, each one stated in our California overtime compliance guide.
Past 8 hours in a day: 1.5×
Every hour beyond 8 in a single workday is paid at 1.5× the regular rate — at $24.00 an hour, $36.00. The week’s total is irrelevant: a 10-hour Monday owes two overtime hours even if the employee works nothing else all week. This is the rule generic overtime calculators miss, and the reason a California week has to be entered day by day.
Past 12 hours in a day: 2×
Hours beyond 12 in one day move again, to double the regular rate — $48.00 on a $24.00 wage. So a 13-hour day is 8 hours straight, 4 hours at 1.5×, and 1 hour at 2×, not 13 hours at one rate. Long shifts are where a payroll spreadsheet built on the federal rule quietly underpays.
The seventh consecutive day
Work all seven days of the workweek and the seventh is priced on its own scale: the first 8 hours at 1.5× and everything beyond 8 at 2×. Nothing on that day is straight time, so a 13-hour seventh day is 8 hours at $36.00 and 5 hours at $48.00. A single day off anywhere in the week breaks the run and the rule does not apply.
Weekly overtime over 40 — counted once
California keeps the 40-hour weekly threshold on top of the daily rules, but the two do not stack on the same hour. Apply the daily rules first, then measure only what is still straight time against 40. An hour already paid at 1.5× for being the ninth hour of a day is not counted again toward the weekly threshold — that is what the calculator’s per-day table shows you.
California Overtime Example: A 33-Hour Week That Still Owes Double Time
Five-hour days Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, plus a 13-hour Tuesday, at $24.00 an hour. The week totals 33 hours — well under 40 — and still owes both overtime and double time, because Tuesday crossed 8 hours and then 12.
| Day | Hours worked | Regular | Overtime (1.5×) | Double time (2×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Tuesday | 13.00 | 8.00 | 4.00 | 1.00 |
| Wednesday | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Thursday | off | — | — | — |
| Friday | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Saturday | 5.00 | 5.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Sunday | off | — | — | — |
| Week total 33.00 hrs | 28.00 | 4.00 | 1.00 | |
At $24.00 an hour that is 28.00 regular hours ($672.00), 4.00 hours at $36.00 ($144.00) and 1.00 hour at $48.00 ($48.00) — $864.00 gross for a 33.00-hour week. Under the federal rule alone the same week would be 33.00 straight-time hours and no premium at all.
Federal Overtime Pay Chart: Common Rates at 45, 50 and 55 Hours
Gross pay for one workweek under the federal rules — 40 hours at the regular rate plus the remaining hours at time and a half. Pure arithmetic, no deductions or taxes withheld.
| Hourly rate | Overtime rate (1.5×) | 45 hours | 50 hours | 55 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $712.50 | $825.00 | $937.50 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $855.00 | $990.00 | $1,125.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $950.00 | $1,100.00 | $1,250.00 |
| $22.50 | $33.75 | $1,068.75 | $1,237.50 | $1,406.25 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $1,187.50 | $1,375.00 | $1,562.50 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $1,425.00 | $1,650.00 | $1,875.00 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $1,662.50 | $1,925.00 | $2,187.50 |
These figures are the federal rule only — a California week with any day past 8 hours will come out higher, so run it through California mode above. Need to turn a time card’s hours and minutes into the decimal hours these figures assume? Use the free time card calculator.
How to Calculate Overtime Pay in California
1. Total the hours for the workweek
One workweek at a time, not one paycheck at a time. Convert every time card entry to decimal hours first — 8 hours 45 minutes is 8.75, not 8.45 — using the time card calculator if you are adding punches by hand.
2. Split the hours at the threshold
In California, apply the daily rules first — hours beyond 8 in a day, then hours beyond 12 in a day, then the seventh-consecutive-day rules — and only afterwards measure what is still straight time against the 40-hour weekly threshold, so no hour earns a premium twice. Federally there is only that weekly step: hours up to 40 are regular, everything above is overtime.
3. Multiply each bucket by its rate
Regular hours × the regular rate. Overtime hours × 1.5 × the regular rate. In California, double-time hours × 2 × the regular rate. Base the premium on the regular rate of pay, which includes compensation like bonuses, commissions and shift differentials — not on the base wage alone.
4. Add the buckets for gross pay
Gross pay is the sum of the straight-time and premium lines, rounded to the cent once per line. That is the figure before taxes and deductions. Watching those premium lines by job — not just by employee — is what job costing is for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate overtime in California?
Day by day first, week second. Split each workday: the first 8 hours are straight time, hours 8 through 12 are paid at 1.5× the regular rate, and anything past 12 hours in that day is paid at 2×. If the employee worked all seven days of the workweek, the seventh day is priced on its own scale instead — first 8 hours at 1.5×, everything beyond 8 at 2×. Only then apply the 40-hour weekly threshold, and only to the hours that are still straight time after the daily rules, so no hour earns a premium twice. Worked example at $24.00 an hour: five-hour days Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday plus a 13-hour Tuesday is 28 regular hours ($672.00), 4 hours at $36.00 ($144.00) and 1 hour at $48.00 ($48.00) — $864.00 for a 33-hour week. Enter your own week in California mode above.
Is overtime after 8 hours or 40 hours in California?
Both, and whichever is reached first. California pays 1.5× for hours beyond 8 in a single workday and for hours beyond 40 in the workweek. That is why a 33-hour week can still owe overtime: one 13-hour day crosses the daily threshold even though the week never approaches 40. The two thresholds do not double up on the same hour — an hour already paid at a premium under the daily rule is not counted again toward the 40. Our California overtime compliance guide states the rule plainly: any work beyond 8 hours in a single day qualifies for overtime, even if total weekly hours are under 40.
When does double time start in California?
After 12 hours in a single workday — those hours are paid at 2× the regular rate, $48.00 an hour on a $24.00 wage. There is a second trigger: on the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek, every hour past the first 8 is double time. A 13-hour ordinary day is therefore 8 hours straight, 4 hours at 1.5× and 1 hour at 2×; the same 13 hours worked as a seventh consecutive day is 8 hours at 1.5× and 5 hours at 2×. Federal law has no double-time rule at all, which is why a generic overtime calculator understates a long California shift.
What is the seventh consecutive day rule in California?
When an employee works all seven days of one workweek, the seventh day is paid entirely at a premium: the first 8 hours at 1.5× the regular rate and every hour beyond 8 at 2×. No part of that day is straight time. A single day off anywhere in the week breaks the run, and the rule does not apply — which is why the calculator asks for all seven days rather than a weekly total, and flags the day it treats as the seventh consecutive one. Chronotek Pro’s California-ready timekeeping tracks consecutive days worked as shifts are recorded, rather than leaving it to be spotted on the timesheet.
Do daily and weekly overtime stack in California?
No — an hour is paid a premium once. The order matters: apply the daily rules first, then measure only the remaining straight-time hours against the 40-hour weekly threshold. Take a 52-hour week of 8, 13, 8, 9, 8 and 6 hours. The daily rules move 4 hours from Tuesday and 1 from Thursday to 1.5× and 1 hour from Tuesday to 2×, leaving 46 straight-time hours; the weekly threshold then moves 6 of those to 1.5×. The result is 40 regular hours, 11 hours at 1.5× and 1 at 2× — not 40 regular and 12 counted twice. The per-day table in California mode shows each hour in exactly one column.
What is time and a half?
Time and a half is 1.5 times the regular rate of pay — the overtime premium the federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires in most cases for hours over 40 in a workweek, though state rules and union agreements can vary. At $24.00 an hour, time and a half is $36.00 an hour, so an overtime hour costs $12.00 more than a regular one. That gap is the entire reason overtime is worth watching daily instead of discovering it on the timesheet: how to track overtime costs accurately walks through the full cost.
How do you calculate overtime pay? (worked example)
Four steps. Total the hours in the workweek: 47.5. Split them at 40 — 40 regular hours and 7.5 overtime hours. Pay the regular hours at the regular rate: 40 × $24.00 = $960.00. Pay the overtime hours at 1.5× that rate: 7.5 × $36.00 = $270.00. Gross pay is $960.00 + $270.00 = $1,230.00. The calculator above does exactly this, and the reference table shows the same math at seven common rates.
When does overtime start under federal law?
After 40 hours in a workweek. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, nonexempt employees earn a premium for hours worked over 40 in a workweek — in most cases time and a half, though state rules and union agreements can vary. There is no federal daily threshold, so a 12-hour day inside a 38-hour week creates no federal overtime; some states, California among them, do have daily rules.
Does California have daily overtime?
Yes. Our California overtime compliance guide states that employers must pay 1.5× the regular rate for hours beyond 8 in a single day or for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day, and 2× the regular rate for hours beyond 12 in a single day or for all hours beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive day. Any work beyond 8 hours in a single day qualifies for overtime, even if total weekly hours are under 40 — the guide’s own example is an employee who works five hours on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday and 13 hours on Tuesday: despite a 33-hour week, Tuesday is 8 hours at regular pay, 4 hours at 1.5×, and 1 hour at 2×. Switch the calculator to California mode to run your own week.
Is overtime calculated per week or per paycheck?
Per workweek. The premium applies to hours over 40 in a workweek, so a biweekly paycheck covers two separate workweeks and each is measured on its own: 48 hours followed by 32 hours is 8 overtime hours, not zero, even though the two weeks average 40. Averaging across a pay period is one of the quieter ways overtime gets underpaid. Chronotek Pro’s job costing reports show those premium hours by job and by week rather than by check date.
Does the overtime rate include bonuses and commissions?
In California it has to. The overtime compliance guide explains that overtime must be based on the regular rate of pay, which includes additional compensation like bonuses, commissions and shift differentials — paying overtime solely on an employee’s base hourly rate is a common compliance error. Discretionary bonuses and gifts, expense reimbursements, pay for non-worked periods, premium pay and tips are excluded from that calculation, and an employee working multiple rates in a week is paid overtime on a weighted average of them. This calculator takes one rate, so enter the regular rate rather than the base wage when they differ.
A note on what this calculator is — and isn’t.
This page provides general product and operational information, not legal advice. Chronotek Pro does not determine an employer’s legal obligations, replace legal counsel, or guarantee compliance. Overtime requirements vary by employee classification, wage order, industry, collective bargaining agreement, and other circumstances, and California mode implements only the rules stated in our California overtime compliance guide — it does not model alternative workweek schedules, exemption tests, or the regular rate of pay as distinct from a single hourly rate. Consult qualified employment counsel about your company’s specific obligations, and see California compliance for how Chronotek Pro supports those workflows.
See overtime coming, not after it is paid
A calculator prices overtime after the week is over. Chronotek Pro records GPS-verified clock-ins from the job site, totals daily and weekly hours as they happen, and shows which jobs are driving premium hours — while there is still time to change the schedule. Start a 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
Related reading: How to track overtime costs accurately · California overtime compliance guide · California compliance · Free time card calculator