Hours & Pay Calculator
Calculate your total pay for any week based on hours worked, your hourly rate, and overtime rules. Includes regular pay, overtime pay, and gross total.
How to use this tool
- Enter total hours worked, hourly rate, overtime threshold and overtime multiplier in the fields above.
- Results update instantly as you type — or click Calculate.
- Read your gross pay and the full breakdown beneath it.
⚠ This tool provides general estimates for education only and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Figures may not reflect your situation — verify with a qualified professional.
Formula
Regular Pay = min(Hours, Threshold) × Hourly Rate
Overtime Pay = max(0, Hours − Threshold) × Hourly Rate × Overtime Multiplier
Gross Pay = Regular Pay + Overtime Pay
How it works
Hours up to the overtime threshold are paid at the standard hourly rate. Any hours beyond the threshold are overtime hours, paid at the hourly rate multiplied by the overtime multiplier (typically 1.5 under the Fair Labor Standards Act). Gross pay is the sum of regular and overtime earnings before any deductions.
Worked example
45 hours worked at $20/hr with 1.5x overtime
- Regular hours = min(45, 40) = 40 hours; Overtime hours = 45 − 40 = 5 hours
- Regular pay = 40 × $20 = $800.00
- Overtime pay = 5 × $20 × 1.5 = $150.00
- Gross pay = $800 + $150 = $950.00
Gross pay for the week is $950.00.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Setting the overtime threshold to something other than 40 hours when calculating under FLSA: some users set the threshold to their scheduled workday (8 hours) rather than the weekly threshold, calculating overtime far too aggressively.
- Forgetting that meal breaks of 30 minutes or more that are duty-free are generally not compensable and should be deducted from total hours before computing pay.
- Not accounting for different overtime rules for specific exemptions: farm workers, domestic workers, and some other categories have distinct thresholds that differ from the standard 40-hour federal rule.
Key terms
- What is the FLSA overtime threshold?
- Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must receive 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
- What is the overtime multiplier?
- The overtime multiplier is the factor applied to the regular hourly rate for overtime hours. Federal law requires at least 1.5 (time-and-a-half).
- What does gross pay mean?
- Gross pay is total earnings before any taxes, insurance, or other deductions are taken out.
- Are all workers entitled to overtime?
- Exempt employees (certain salaried professionals, executives, and administrators meeting FLSA salary and duties tests) are not entitled to overtime pay.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the difference between gross pay and net pay?
- Gross pay is total earnings before any deductions. Net pay is what you actually take home after federal and state income tax withholding, Social Security (6.2%), Medicare (1.45%), and any voluntary deductions for benefits or retirement are subtracted.
- How are overtime hours tracked across multiple jobs with the same employer?
- Under FLSA, hours worked for the same employer across multiple positions in the same workweek are combined to determine if the 40-hour threshold is met. Hours for separate, unrelated employers are not combined.
- Can an employer require unpaid overtime for salaried exempt employees?
- Yes. Employees classified as exempt under FLSA (meeting salary and duties tests) are not entitled to overtime pay regardless of hours worked. Exempt status is a legal classification, not a free choice: the employer must verify the position meets both the salary threshold and the applicable duties test.