How to use the Time Card Calculator
- Enter hours worked for each weekday as a decimal — 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5.
- Leave a day at zero if it was not worked.
- Enter the base hourly rate.
- Read the split between regular and overtime hours.
- Read gross pay, which applies the 1.5× premium to overtime only.
How the calculation works
The weekly total is the sum of the daily entries. Anything above forty hours is classified as overtime and paid at one and a half times the base rate, the standard set by the US Fair Labor Standards Act and mirrored in many other regimes. Regular hours are the remainder, so a 46-hour week is 40 regular plus 6 overtime.
Overtime is calculated weekly, not daily, under the federal standard — someone working four twelve-hour days totals 48 hours and earns 8 hours of overtime, regardless of how uneven the days were. Several states and countries add a daily threshold on top, commonly at 8 or 12 hours in a day, which can produce more overtime than the weekly rule alone. Where both apply, the more generous result governs.
The regular rate that overtime multiplies is not always the plain hourly wage. Non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials and production incentives generally must be folded into it before the premium is applied, which raises the effective overtime rate. This calculator uses the base rate you enter, so if such payments apply, compute the blended regular rate first and enter that instead.
total = Σ daily hours; OT = max(0, total − 40); regular = total − OT; gross = regular×rate + OT×rate×1.5Source: US Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. §207(a); regular-rate inclusion per 29 CFR 778.
Worked example
A technician works 10, 9, 8, 11 and 6 hours across the week at a $28 base rate.
- Total hours: 10 + 9 + 8 + 11 + 6 = 44.
- Overtime: 44 − 40 = 4 hours.
- Regular pay: 40 × 28 = $1,120.
- Overtime pay: 4 × 28 × 1.5 = $168.
$1,288 gross for the week — the four overtime hours contribute $168, which is 50% more than they would at base rate.
Frequently asked questions
Is overtime daily or weekly?+
Federally in the US it is weekly above 40 hours. Some states, and many other countries, add a daily threshold, and where both apply the employee gets the better outcome.
Do paid holidays count towards overtime?+
Generally no under the federal rule — only hours actually worked count towards the 40-hour threshold, though a contract can be more generous.
What about double time?+
It is not a federal requirement. Some states and union agreements require it beyond a daily threshold; adjust the result manually if so.
Are salaried staff entitled to overtime?+
It depends on exempt status, which turns on duties and a salary threshold, not on being paid a salary as such.
Last reviewed August 31, 2026. We review this page whenever the underlying formula, tax year, published rate or standard changes.