How to Calculate Time and a Half (With Worked Examples)
Time and a half is one of the most common phrases on a paycheck and one of the most misunderstood. This guide walks through the math step by step, from a plain hourly wage to a salaried role, with worked examples you can check against your own numbers.
The one rule you actually need
Time and a half means you are paid 1.5 times your normal hourly rate for qualifying overtime hours. That is the whole rule. Everything else is arithmetic. To find your overtime rate, multiply your regular rate by 1.5. To find your overtime pay, multiply that overtime rate by the number of overtime hours.
The reason people trip over it is the word "half." Your overtime pay is not half your wage, and it is not a separate bonus. It is your full rate plus an extra 50%. Splitting the two apart is the fastest way to understand what overtime is worth, so that is how we will work through each example.
Example 1: A straightforward hourly wage
Suppose you earn $18.00 an hour and work 6 overtime hours in a week.
- Overtime rate: $18.00 × 1.5 = $27.00 an hour.
- Overtime pay: $27.00 × 6 = $162.00.
- Of that $162.00, the base portion is $18.00 × 6 = $108.00, and the premium — the extra half — is $9.00 × 6 = $54.00.
So those 6 hours added $162.00 to your gross pay, and $54.00 of it exists purely because of the overtime rule. If your schedule had been flat, you would have earned only the $108.00.
Example 2: An awkward hourly rate
Real wages are rarely round numbers. Say you earn $16.75 an hour and work 4.5 overtime hours.
- Overtime rate: $16.75 × 1.5 = $25.125, which rounds to $25.13 an hour for display.
- Overtime pay: $25.125 × 4.5 = $113.06 (keep the full rate in the math, round only at the end).
- Premium portion: $8.375 × 4.5 = $37.69.
Example 3: Starting from a salary
Salaried workers who are eligible for overtime need one extra step: convert the salary to an hourly rate first. The standard approach divides the annual salary by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week across 52 weeks).
Take a $45,000 salary for a non-exempt employee who works 5 overtime hours in a week.
- Regular rate: $45,000 ÷ 2,080 = $21.63 an hour.
- Overtime rate: $21.63 × 1.5 = $32.45 an hour.
- Overtime pay for the week: $32.45 × 5 = $162.26.
If your standard week is not 40 hours, change the divisor. A 37.5-hour week is 1,950 paid hours a year, which raises the regular rate and every number after it. You can move between salary and hourly figures with our salary to hourly converter before running the overtime math.
What about double time?
Double time uses the same method with a multiplier of 2 instead of 1.5. At $20 an hour, double time is $40 an hour, and the premium equals your full rate rather than half of it. Double time is not required by federal law — it comes from state rules, company policy, or union contracts. When a week mixes regular, time-and-a-half, and double-time hours, add each bucket separately. Our overtime calculator handles all three at once and shows the split visually, while the double time calculator focuses on the 2× case.
Three mistakes to avoid
- Paying overtime on the wrong base. Overtime is calculated on your regular rate of pay, which can include certain non-discretionary bonuses. For most hourly workers it is simply the hourly wage, but check if you receive shift differentials or production bonuses.
- Counting daily instead of weekly. The federal standard is over 40 hours in a workweek, not over 8 in a day. Some states add daily rules, but do not assume them without checking.
- Confusing gross and net. Every figure here is before tax. Your take-home overtime is smaller once withholding applies, and a big overtime week can temporarily bump your withholding rate.
Check your own numbers
The quickest way to make this stick is to run your real wage through the steps once by hand, then confirm it with a tool. Open the time and a half calculator, enter your hourly rate and overtime hours, and compare its premium figure to the one you worked out. If they match, you understand the rule well enough to catch a payroll error when it happens.
This article is general information, not legal, tax, or payroll advice. Overtime eligibility depends on your job classification and the laws where you work. The federal FLSA baseline is time and a half beyond 40 hours a week; some states set stricter rules. Check with your employer or your state labor department for the rules that apply to you.