Calculate time and a half pay from your regular hourly rate and the number of overtime hours you worked.
Time and a Half Formula
The core formula multiplies your regular hourly rate by 1.5 to find the overtime rate, then multiplies that rate by your overtime hours:
OT Rate = Regular Rate * 1.5
Gross Pay = (Regular Rate * Regular Hours) + (OT Rate * OT Hours) + (DT Rate * DT Hours) + Other Pay
When you solve for overtime hours needed to hit a target gross pay, the calculator rearranges the same relationship:
OT Hours = (Target Pay - Other Pay - Regular Rate * Regular Hours) / (Regular Rate * 1.5)
When you start from an annual salary instead of an hourly rate, the regular rate is found first:
Regular Rate = Annual Salary / Paid Weeks / Regular Hours per Week
The variables are:
- Regular Rate: your standard hourly pay before any premium.
- OT Rate: the time-and-a-half rate, equal to the regular rate times 1.5.
- DT Rate: the double-time rate, equal to the regular rate times 2 when double time applies.
- Regular Hours: hours paid at the regular rate, normally the first 40 in a workweek.
- OT Hours: hours paid at time and a half.
- DT Hours: hours paid at double time.
- Other Pay: bonuses or additional earnings added to gross pay.
- Target Pay: the gross pay you want to reach when solving backward for hours or rate.
The gross pay mode applies the rate to each hour bucket and adds them. The weekly timesheet mode totals your daily hours, subtracts unpaid break time, and treats everything above the weekly threshold as time-and-a-half hours. The target modes invert the formula: one solves for the overtime hours needed to reach a target gross pay, and the other solves for the regular rate that would produce a target gross pay from a set of hours. The options panel lets you change the overtime multiplier, double-time multiplier, weekly threshold, and an optional withholding percent for an estimated net figure.
Common Overtime Multipliers and Resulting Rates
Time and a half means a 1.5 multiplier, but some hours or agreements use other multipliers. The table shows the resulting hourly rate at each multiplier.
| Multiplier | Name | Rate at $20/hr | Rate at $30/hr |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0x | Regular | $20.00 | $30.00 |
| 1.5x | Time and a half | $30.00 | $45.00 |
| 2.0x | Double time | $40.00 | $60.00 |
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, covered nonexempt employees must receive at least time and a half for hours worked over 40 in a seven-day workweek. The table below shows time-and-a-half pay for the hours past 40.
| Regular Rate | OT Rate (1.5x) | 5 OT Hours | 10 OT Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $112.50 | $225.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $150.00 | $300.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $225.00 | $450.00 |
Example Problems
Example 1: Gross pay from hours. You earn $20 per hour, work 40 regular hours, and work 8 hours at time and a half. The overtime rate is $20 times 1.5, which is $30 per hour. Regular pay is $20 times 40, which is $800. Overtime pay is $30 times 8, which is $240. Gross pay is $800 plus $240, which is $1,040.
Example 2: Overtime hours from target pay. You earn $20 per hour and work 40 regular hours, and you want to reach $920 in gross pay. Regular pay is $800, so $120 must come from overtime. The overtime rate is $30 per hour, so you need $120 divided by $30, which is 4 overtime hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate time and a half? Multiply your regular hourly rate by 1.5 to get the overtime rate, then multiply that rate by the number of overtime hours. For a $20 rate, time and a half is $30 per hour, so 6 overtime hours pay $180.
When does time and a half apply? Under federal law, nonexempt employees earn at least time and a half for hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. Some states and employers apply overtime on a daily basis or for the seventh consecutive day, and some agreements pay double time in certain situations. Use the options panel to match the multiplier and weekly threshold to your rules.
How do I figure time and a half from a salary? First convert the salary to an hourly rate by dividing the annual salary by the number of paid weeks and then by the regular hours per week. For example, $52,000 divided by 52 weeks and then by 40 hours is $25 per hour, which makes the time-and-a-half rate $37.50 per hour.
