California overtime calculator: daily overtime after 8 hours, double time after 12, and 7th-day rules. Enter your week and get gross pay by tier instantly.
California Overtime Formula
California pays overtime by the day as well as by the week. For a normal workday the hours split into three tiers:
Pay = (R * Hreg) + (R * 1.5 * Hot) + (R * 2 * Hdt)
Where the daily tiers are:
Hreg = min(H, 8) Hot = min(max(H - 8, 0), 4) Hdt = max(H - 12, 0)
Variables:
- H is hours worked in the workday and R is the regular rate of pay
- Hreg are regular hours (up to 8), Hot are time-and-a-half hours (over 8 through 12), and Hdt are double time hours (over 12)
- On the 7th consecutive day of a workweek, the first 8 hours are paid at 1.5x and hours over 8 at 2x
- Weekly rule: straight-time hours over 40 in the workweek also become time and a half (daily overtime hours are not counted twice)
Use single-day mode to price one long shift, or week mode to enter all 7 days: the calculator applies the daily splits, detects a 7-day week for the 7th-day premium, converts straight-time hours over 40 to overtime, and totals gross pay by tier. It applies to non-exempt employees; exempt roles and alternative workweek schedules follow different rules.
Pay for a Single Workday by Length
Gross pay at $20 per hour for workdays of increasing length under California daily overtime (not a 7th consecutive day).
| Hours worked | Regular | 1.5x hours | 2x hours | Day's pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | $160.00 |
| 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | $190.00 |
| 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | $220.00 |
| 11 | 8 | 3 | 0 | $250.00 |
| 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 | $280.00 |
| 13 | 8 | 4 | 1 | $320.00 |
| 14 | 8 | 4 | 2 | $360.00 |
| 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | $440.00 |
Example Problems
Example 1: A 13-hour day at $20 per hour.
Hreg = 8, Hot = 4, Hdt = 1.
Pay = (20 * 8) + (30 * 4) + (40 * 1) = 160 + 120 + 40 = $320.
Example 2: The 7th consecutive day of the workweek, 10 hours at $20 per hour.
On a 7th day the first 8 hours pay 1.5x and hours over 8 pay 2x: (30 * 8) + (40 * 2) = 240 + 80 = $320.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is California overtime different from federal overtime?
Federal FLSA overtime only starts after 40 hours in a workweek. California adds daily triggers: over 8 hours in a day pays 1.5x, over 12 pays 2x, and the 7th consecutive day of a workweek has its own premium schedule. An employee can work 40 hours in 4 days and still earn 8 hours of daily overtime in California while earning none federally.
Do daily overtime hours also count toward the weekly 40?
No hour is paid twice. Only straight-time (non-premium) hours count toward the weekly 40-hour trigger, so a week of five 10-hour days produces 10 daily overtime hours and exactly 40 straight-time hours, with no additional weekly overtime.
Who is covered by these rules?
Non-exempt California employees, whether hourly or salaried. Properly classified exempt employees (executive, administrative, professional meeting the duties and salary tests) are not owed overtime, and employees on an adopted alternative workweek schedule can regularly work 10-hour days without daily overtime.
