How time and a half is calculated
Multiply your regular hourly rate by 1.5. That is your time-and-a-half rate. Multiply it by the overtime hours you worked to get your overtime pay, then add your regular pay for the week.
With the example above: $22.00 × 1.5 = $33.00 an hour. Six overtime hours pay $198.00, forty regular hours pay $880.00, and the week comes to $1,078.00. The extra you earn over straight time is $66.00, which is half your rate for each overtime hour.
When time and a half is owed
The federal rule is weekly. A covered, non-exempt employee earns at least time and a half for each hour over 40 in a workweek, a fixed period of seven consecutive days that the employer sets. Hours are not averaged across weeks, and a long day on its own does not trigger federal overtime.
Some states are stricter. California pays time and a half after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12. Alaska and Nevada have daily rules too, and Colorado pays overtime after 12 hours in a day. The weekly overtime calculator applies these rules day by day, and overtime laws by state lists each state’s rule with its source.
Federal law does not require time and a half for weekends, nights or holidays in themselves. Many employers pay it by policy, but the legal requirement is about total hours in the workweek.
Time and a half on a salary
A salary does not by itself remove the right to overtime. If you are non-exempt, your regular rate is your weekly salary divided by the hours the salary is meant to cover. A $52,000 salary for a 40-hour week works out to $25.00 an hour, so time and a half is $37.50.
Most salaried employees paid at least $684 a week who also pass a duties test are exempt and not owed overtime. Switch the calculator to A salary to convert a non-exempt salary to an hourly rate first.
Time-and-a-half rates at common wages
| Regular rate | 1.5× rate | Pay for 10 hours |
|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $225.00 |
| $16.00 | $24.00 | $240.00 |
| $17.00 | $25.50 | $255.00 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $270.00 |
| $19.00 | $28.50 | $285.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $300.00 |
| $22.00 | $33.00 | $330.00 |
| $24.00 | $36.00 | $360.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $375.00 |
| $28.00 | $42.00 | $420.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $450.00 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $525.00 |
| $40.00 | $60.00 | $600.00 |
| $45.00 | $67.50 | $675.00 |
| $50.00 | $75.00 | $750.00 |
What counts in the regular rate
Time and a half is 1.5 times the regular rate, which is not always the same as the hourly wage. Nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions earned in the week are added to your straight-time pay and divided by all hours worked. A $46 production bonus in a 46-hour week at $12 an hour raises the regular rate from $12.00 to $13.00, and every overtime hour is paid on the higher figure.
Discretionary gifts, reimbursed expenses and pay for time not worked, such as vacation, are left out. When you work at two or more rates in the same week, the regular rate is the weighted average of them. The weekly overtime calculator takes a bonus into account.
Questions people ask
Is time and a half 1.5 times my hourly rate?
Yes. Time and a half is your regular rate multiplied by 1.5. At $20.00 an hour it is $30.00; at $15.00 it is $22.50. If you earn a bonus or commission tied to the week, the regular rate includes it, so the overtime rate is higher than 1.5 times your base rate.
When do I get time and a half?
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, a non-exempt employee earns at least time and a half for every hour over 40 in a workweek. Some states go further: California, for example, also pays overtime after 8 hours in a day.
Is holiday or weekend work paid at time and a half?
Not under federal law. The Department of Labor says the FLSA does not require extra pay for weekend, night or holiday work. Many employers pay a holiday premium by policy or contract, and hours on those days still count toward the 40-hour threshold.
Do salaried employees get time and a half?
Only if they are non-exempt. A salaried non-exempt employee is owed overtime like anyone else; the hourly rate is the weekly salary divided by the hours it is meant to cover. Employees who meet an exemption test, including the $684-a-week salary level, are not.
Can overtime be averaged over two weeks?
No. Each workweek stands alone under the FLSA, so 30 hours one week and 50 the next still means 10 hours of overtime in the second week, even when both fall in one pay period.
How is time and a half taxed?
Overtime is taxed as ordinary wages. For tax years 2025 through 2028, the premium part of FLSA overtime (the extra half) can be deducted on your federal return, up to $12,500 a year, or $25,000 on a joint return. Social Security and Medicare still apply.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (opens in a new tab)
- 29 U.S.C. § 207, Maximum hours (FLSA section 7) (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Labor, Questions and Answers About the Fair Labor Standards Act (opens in a new tab)
- 29 CFR § 778.113, Salaried employees, general (opens in a new tab)
- 29 CFR §§ 778.208–778.209, Inclusion of bonuses in the regular rate (opens in a new tab)
- U.S. Department of Labor news release, May 14, 2026 (salary level restored to $684 a week) (opens in a new tab)