Weekly overtime gross ESTIMATE
Hours up to 40 at the straight rate, and hours past 40 at time and a half, for one workweek.
General information, not tax or legal advice. The time-and-a-half rule below is the federal Fair Labor Standards Act rule for covered, nonexempt employees, as stated by the U.S. Department of Labor. This page does not decide whether someone is exempt, and it does not apply state daily-overtime laws.
Result ESTIMATE
Forty hours, then half again
The Department of Labor states that, unless exempt, employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than one and one-half times their regular rate. At $20 an hour and 45 hours, straight time is 40 × $20 = $800 and overtime is 5 × $20 × 1.5 = $150. Gross pay is $950. Hours of 40 or fewer produce no overtime line.
The regular rate is not always the posted hourly rate. Nondiscretionary bonuses and some differentials are included. Fact Sheet 56A is the Department of Labor’s overview. This form multiplies the rate you type. It also ignores state rules that require daily overtime or a higher multiple. Exemptions for executive, administrative, and professional employees are Fact Sheet 17A. Meeting a job title is not the test, and this page will not run that test.
Gross pay is not take-home
The $950 is wages before withholding. Employer and employee FICA on wages are on the payroll tax estimator, using the 2026 wage base. A rough annual take-home is the paycheck estimator. Record the gross, including the overtime premium, in wage expense. Do not park the extra $50 of premium (the “half”) in a miscellaneous account if you want payroll reports to match the books.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor: Overtime pay — hours over 40 in a workweek at not less than time and one-half for covered, nonexempt employees.
- Fact Sheet #23 — overtime pay requirements of the FLSA.
- Fact Sheet #56A — what can change the regular rate.