Time Calculator for Payroll

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay at a rate of at least 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour worked beyond 40 hours in a single workweek. A workweek is a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods. The overtime threshold applies to the total hours in that workweek, regardless of how the hours are distributed across individual days.

To calculate: add up all hours worked in the week. If the total exceeds 40, subtract 40 to get your overtime hours. Multiply overtime hours by your hourly rate and then by 1.5 to get overtime pay. Add that to your regular pay (40 hours × rate) to get gross pay. For example, 45 hours at $20/hour gives you $800 in regular pay plus $150 in overtime pay, totaling $950 gross.

Note that many states have their own overtime laws that may be more generous than federal law. States like California, Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado have daily overtime thresholds that kick in before the 40-hour weekly threshold. This calculator lets you choose the rule that applies to your situation.

Federal overtime (FLSA) only triggers after 40 hours in a workweek — there is no daily overtime threshold at the federal level. California overtime law is significantly more protective for workers. Under California Labor Code, employees earn overtime (1.5×) for all hours worked beyond 8 in a single workday, and double time (2×) for all hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday. Additionally, the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek are also compensated at 1.5×, and hours beyond 8 on the seventh day are at 2×.

The practical difference can be substantial. An employee who works four 10-hour days earns zero federal overtime (40 hours total, at threshold). Under California rules, that same employee earns 8 hours of overtime (2 hours each on four days). At $20/hour, the California employee earns $880 gross versus $800 under the federal rule — a 10% difference that adds up quickly over a year.

The California daily OT option in this calculator applies the 8h/12h daily thresholds for every day in the pay period. If you work in another state with daily OT rules (Alaska, Nevada, Colorado), check whether their rules match California's structure closely enough to use this option, or consult your state labor board.

A biweekly pay period covers two consecutive workweeks, typically 14 calendar days. The key point for overtime is that overtime eligibility is generally calculated per workweek — not per pay period. Under federal law, you cannot average hours across two weeks to avoid overtime. If an employee works 50 hours in week one and 30 hours in week two, they owe 10 hours of overtime from week one even though the biweekly average is 40 hours.

That said, some fixed salary exempt employees and certain union agreements may calculate overtime on a biweekly or longer basis. For standard hourly workers, the safest approach is to tally overtime per week. This calculator's biweekly mode shows you the full 14-day time grid but applies the overtime threshold per-week, enforced by day order rather than pooling the two weeks together.

To calculate biweekly gross pay manually: calculate each week separately, apply overtime to each, then add the two weeks together. Gross pay = (Week 1 regular pay + Week 1 OT pay) + (Week 2 regular pay + Week 2 OT pay).

A payroll time calculator like this one solves a specific, bounded problem: given clock-in and clock-out times, what is the gross pay? It handles hours computation, overtime math, and gives you a printable or exportable breakdown. This is genuinely all many small businesses, independent contractors, household employers, and gig workers need — especially if they are already using a bookkeeper or accountant for tax filings and final payroll processing.

Full payroll software (Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks Payroll, etc.) does far more: it calculates and files payroll taxes, manages W-2s and 1099s, handles direct deposit, tracks paid time off, and ensures compliance with tax deposit schedules. The cost reflects this — typically $40–$150/month for a small team. You need full payroll software if you are running a business with regular employees, handling payroll taxes yourself, or required to file employer tax returns.

The typical user of a payroll time calculator is a small employer who outsources tax work to an accountant and just needs to verify hours before writing checks, a domestic employer (nanny, caregiver) who pays their household worker, a freelancer tracking hours against a project budget, or an employee who wants to verify their own paycheck before it arrives. If that describes you, a dedicated calculator is simpler, faster, and free.

Double time pay is compensation at twice the employee's regular hourly rate. It applies in California (and some other states) for hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday, and for all hours worked on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek beyond the first 8. Federal law does not require double time — it is a California-specific (and some union contract) concept.

The calculation is straightforward: double time hours × hourly rate × 2.0. For example, an employee working a 14-hour shift at $25/hour earns: 8 regular hours × $25 = $200, plus 4 overtime hours × $25 × 1.5 = $150, plus 2 double time hours × $25 × 2 = $100 — total day gross of $450. The same employee working 8 hours would earn $200, so the 6 extra hours cost the employer $250 rather than $150 at straight time.

When using this calculator in California mode, double time hours are shown separately in the daily breakdown. If you consistently see double time triggering, consider reviewing scheduling to avoid shifts exceeding 12 hours — both for cost reasons and because long shifts often have productivity and safety implications.