What Is Time and a Half Pay?

Time and a half pay means earning 1.5 times your regular hourly rate for every hour you work beyond 40 in a single workweek. The name comes from the math: your normal rate plus half of your normal rate added on top. If you earn $20 an hour, your time and a half rate is $30 an hour. That extra $10 per hour is the "half" people refer to.

The federal Fair Labor Standards Act has required this minimum overtime rate since 1938. It applies to non-exempt employees across all industries and all 50 states, whether full-time or part-time. The only workers excluded are those who genuinely qualify for one of the FLSA's exemptions — executive, administrative, professional, computer professional, or outside sales — and all three tests (salary basis, salary level, and actual job duties) must be met simultaneously. Many workers who assume they are exempt are actually entitled to overtime pay.

How to Calculate Time and a Half for Any Hourly Rate

The formula never changes regardless of your wage. Multiply your hourly rate by 1.5 to get your overtime rate, then multiply that by your overtime hours. Add your regular pay for the first 40 hours and you have your total gross weekly pay. The time and a half calculator at the top of this page runs all three steps the moment you type your numbers — no button press needed.

Here is a worked example at a common wage: if you earn $19.50 an hour and worked 48 hours this week, your overtime rate is $19.50 × 1.5 = $29.25. Your 8 overtime hours pay $29.25 × 8 = $234. Your regular pay is $19.50 × 40 = $780. Total weekly pay before taxes: $1,014. That is the number your paycheck should reflect.

Time and a Half vs. Double Time — What Is the Difference?

Time and a half (1.5×) is the standard federal overtime rate. Double time (2×) is exactly twice your regular rate and is only required in specific states. California is the most notable example: workers there earn double time for any hours beyond 12 in a single workday, and for hours beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive workday in the same workweek. Federal law does not mandate double time in any situation. If your employer offers double time voluntarily for holidays or overnight shifts, the calculation is the same approach — your hourly rate × 2 × hours worked. Our double time calculator handles those situations specifically.

Using the Weekly Overtime Calculator

If your schedule varies from day to day, the weekly overtime calculator lets you enter hours for each individual day of the workweek. It then identifies which hours cross the 40-hour threshold and calculates your exact overtime pay for the full week. This is especially useful for workers with irregular shifts, those who pick up extra days, or anyone tracking hours across a biweekly pay period to plan ahead.

Verifying Your Paycheck Against the Formula

Overtime errors are more common than most people realise. Common mistakes include using the wrong workweek start date, failing to include bonuses or commissions in the base rate calculation, only counting scheduled hours rather than actual hours worked, and rounding down instead of up. If you suspect your paycheck is short, enter your numbers into the calculator above and compare. If the discrepancy persists after checking with your payroll department, the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division accepts overtime complaints at no cost to the worker.