West Virginia overtime law

West Virginia requires overtime after 40 hours in a workweek, the same threshold as federal law. Here is who the state rule covers, its source, and a calculator set to West Virginia.

West Virginia overtime rule

Overtime after 40 hours a week

West Virginia requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, but only at employers the state law covers: those with six or more employees at one location, excluding most employers whose workforce is covered by the FLSA.

Checked against excerpts of the official source · September 25, 2026

Weekly overtime
After 40 hours
Daily overtime
None
Double time
Not required
Seventh consecutive day
No rule
Source
W. Va. Code §§ 21-5C-3, 21-5C-1 (opens in a new tab)

Work out a week under West Virginia rules

44 h, 4 of them overtime $920.00 Breakdown

Federal rules apply everywhere. Pick your state to add its rules where they pay more.

I’m paid

Hours worked this week

Off
12 reg
10 reg
8 reg
8 reg
2 reg · 4 OT
Off

Enter hours as decimals: 7.5 for seven and a half. The workweek is the seven days your employer uses; it can start on any day.

Nondiscretionary only, such as production or attendance bonuses. Leave at 0 if none.

Calculations run in your browser. Nothing you type is sent to a server while you calculate.

Pay for this workweek

West Virginia rules · 44 hours worked

Pay for this workweek, line by line
Regular pay 40 h × $20.00$800.00
Overtime at 1.5× 4 h × $30.00$120.00

Gross pay for the week

$920.00

  • Weekly rule: hours over 40 in the workweek are overtime.
Regular rate
$20.00
Hours over 40 (federal overtime)
4
Premium counted for the federal deduction
$40.00

West Virginia requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, but only at employers the state law covers: those with six or more employees at one location, excluding most employers whose workforce is covered by the FLSA.

44 hours under West Virginia rules: 40 regular, 4 overtime. Gross pay $920.00.

What a week pays in West Virginia

Take a 44-hour week with a 12-hour Monday, at $20 an hour. Under West Virginia rules that is 40 regular hours and 4 hours of overtime, for $920.00.

That matches federal rules alone, because West Virginia’s rule does not pay more than the federal 40-hour week for this schedule. Change the hours in the calculator above to test your own week.

Who the rule covers

Applies to employers with 6 or more employees at one location, and generally not to employers where 80% of employees are covered by federal wage-hour law (FLSA).

How federal law fits in

The FLSA applies in every state: a covered, non-exempt employee earns at least 1.5 times the regular rate for each hour over 40 in a workweek. Where a state rule and the federal rule both apply, the employee gets whichever pays more for each hour, never both. At $20.00 an hour, federal overtime is $30.00 an hour.

For the federal overtime deduction, only the premium on hours over 40 in a week counts, the same in West Virginia as everywhere else. The no tax on overtime calculator works out that deduction.

Questions people ask

What is the overtime law in West Virginia?

West Virginia requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, but only at employers the state law covers: those with six or more employees at one location, excluding most employers whose workforce is covered by the FLSA.

Does West Virginia have daily overtime?

No. West Virginia has no daily overtime rule for most employees, so overtime is owed for hours over 40 in a workweek under federal law.

Is double time required in West Virginia?

No. West Virginia law does not require double time. It is paid only when an employer policy or a union contract provides for it.

Can a West Virginia employer average hours over two weeks?

Not for federal overtime. Each workweek stands alone under the FLSA, so 30 hours one week and 50 the next means 10 hours of overtime in the second week, even when both are paid together.

Sources

Each source was read on September 25, 2026.

  1. West Virginia: W. Va. Code §§ 21-5C-3, 21-5C-1 (opens in a new tab)
  2. U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (opens in a new tab)
  3. 29 U.S.C. § 207, Maximum hours (FLSA section 7) (opens in a new tab)