Apply the federal workweek threshold
Under the general FLSA rule, covered nonexempt employees receive at least one and one-half times the regular rate for hours actually worked above forty in one workweek. Enter the total decimal hours worked and the regular hourly rate. Forty-five hours at a twenty-dollar regular rate produces forty regular hours and five overtime hours.
A workweek is a fixed, recurring period of seven consecutive twenty-four-hour days. It can begin on a day other than Monday and need not match a calendar week. Hours cannot be averaged across two separate weeks to erase overtime. Weekend or holiday work does not by itself trigger a premium under this general federal calculation.
Read the pay breakdown
Regular pay is regular hours multiplied by the regular rate. Overtime pay is overtime hours multiplied by that rate and by 1.5. At forty-five hours and twenty dollars per hour, regular pay is 800 dollars and the five premium-rate hours contribute 150 dollars. The combined gross estimate is 950 dollars before taxes and deductions.
The tool accepts decimal hours, so 8.5 means eight hours and thirty minutes. If your records use h:mm notation, convert them before entering the weekly total. The duration is resolved to whole seconds once. Pay components are accumulated before the total is displayed to cents; rounded component displays may occasionally differ by a cent from their displayed sum.
Check the regular rate and scope
The regular rate is not always the basic hourly wage printed on a job offer. Certain bonuses, commissions, differentials, and multiple rates can affect it. This tool assumes you already have the applicable regular hourly rate and uses a single rate for the whole estimate. It does not calculate a weighted average or determine which payments belong in that rate.
This estimate does not decide exempt status or apply state laws that may require a more protective calculation. It excludes special industry arrangements, compensatory-time rules, and deductions. If California’s general rules apply, use the separate daily-and-weekly estimate and confirm whether an exception changes the result. A general federal total is not a complete payroll determination.
Verify the estimate against authoritative records
Record the fixed workweek start, check actual worked time, and keep the source record available for reconciliation. Compare the hour breakdown with the source timesheet and the regular rate used by payroll. Copy preserves the estimated total and hour categories for review; it does not certify compliance. Inputs remain in the browser and are not sent to a payroll provider. Correct invalid or missing values before copying, because the tool disables copying when a calculation is incomplete.
This page is not legal advice. The source panel links the labor agency guidance used for these general rules and records the review date. Rules, exceptions, and individual circumstances require their own assessment. Keep authoritative work records and consult the responsible agency or a qualified adviser when the treatment of a particular payment or schedule is uncertain.