Time and a Half Calculator
Find your time and a half rate instantly. Enter your hourly wage and overtime hours to see your 1.5x rate and total overtime earnings — with a quick-reference chart, salaried conversion, and the rules on when 1.5x actually applies.
Quick answer: Time and a half = regular hourly rate × 1.5. At $18/hour, the time-and-a-half rate is $27/hour — so 5 overtime hours pay $135. It's the FLSA-required minimum for non-exempt US employees working beyond 40 hours a week.
What Is Time and a Half?
Time and a half means earning 1.5 times your normal hourly rate for qualifying hours. It is the cornerstone of US overtime law — the FLSA's minimum premium for non-exempt employees beyond 40 hours a week — and the most common voluntary premium for weekend, holiday, and on-call work worldwide. The "half" is why payroll people talk about "half-time": your regular wage already covers the hour, and the overtime premium adds another 50% on top.
Time and a Half Formula
Time and a Half Rate = Regular Hourly Rate × 1.5
Overtime Pay = Time and a Half Rate × Overtime Hours
For salaried employees, convert first: weekly salary ÷ 40 = hourly equivalent, then × 1.5. A $52,000 salary is $25/hour, so time and a half is $37.50.
Worked Examples
Example 1 — hourly. Sarah earns $18/hour and worked 5 overtime hours: rate $27, pay 5 × $27 = $135.
Example 2 — salaried non-exempt. Jordan earns $45,760/year ($22/hour equivalent) and worked 44 hours: 4 OT hours × $33 = $132 above salary that week.
Example 3 — holiday premium. A retailer voluntarily pays time and a half on Thanksgiving. An employee at $16.50 working 8 hours earns 8 × $24.75 = $198 instead of $132 — a $66 premium. Compare holiday multipliers in the holiday pay calculator.
Time and a Half Chart — Common Rates
| Regular rate | Time and a half | Regular rate | Time and a half |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10.00 | $15.00 | $20.00 | $30.00 |
| $12.00 | $18.00 | $22.00 | $33.00 |
| $14.00 | $21.00 | $25.00 | $37.50 |
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $28.00 | $42.00 |
| $16.50 | $24.75 | $30.00 | $45.00 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $35.00 | $52.50 |
When Do You Get Time and a Half?
| Situation | Required? |
|---|---|
| Over 40 hrs/week (US non-exempt) | Yes — FLSA |
| Over 8 hrs/day (CA, AK, CO variants) | Yes — state law |
| Public-sector comp time accrual | Yes — 1.5 hrs off per OT hour |
| Holidays, weekends, nights (US/UK) | Only by policy or union contract |
| UK overtime generally | Contract only — no statutory premium |
The "Regular Rate" Trap: Why 1.5x Base Can Be Underpayment
The FLSA multiplies 1.5 against your regular rate, not your base wage. The regular rate must include shift differentials, non-discretionary bonuses, commissions, and most incentive pay, averaged over the week's hours. Example: $15 base + $2 night differential means overtime on night weeks is 1.5 × $17 = $25.50, not $22.50. If your paystub always shows OT at exactly base × 1.5 despite differentials or production bonuses, run the corrected numbers through the overtime pay calculator — systematic $2-3/hour underpayments compound into significant claims over two to three years.
Time and a Half vs Double Time vs Comp Time
- Time and a half (1.5x): the standard overtime premium — this page.
- Double time (2x): California's premium beyond 12 hours/day or the 7th consecutive day, and a common union holiday rate — see the double time calculator.
- Comp time: public-sector employees may bank 1.5 hours of paid leave per OT hour instead of cash — the same 1.5 economics in time form, via the comp time calculator.
Negotiating Premium Pay Where Law Doesn't Require It
Since US law never mandates weekend or holiday premiums and UK law mandates no premium at all, time and a half in those contexts is a market outcome. Where it shows up: union contracts (nearly always), healthcare and retail during staffing shortages, and on-call/callback clauses. If you're regularly asked to cover unpopular shifts, citing this market standard ("industry norm for weekend cover is 1.5x") is a realistic ask — especially paired with data from your sector. Get any agreed premium written into your contract or the staff handbook; verbal premium promises evaporate.
Quick Mental Math for 1.5x
Half your rate, then add it back: $18 → half is $9 → $27. For annual thinking: one steady OT hour per week at time and a half adds about 78 × your hourly rate per year (52 weeks × 1.5). At $20/hour, a single weekly OT hour is worth roughly $1,560/year — useful context when weighing jobs with different OT availability. Convert salary offers to hourly first with the salary to hourly calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is time and a half for $15 an hour?
$22.50 per hour ($15 × 1.5). Ten overtime hours at that rate earn $225.
What is time and a half for $20 an hour?
$30 per hour. An 8-hour overtime day pays $240 instead of $160.
When do I get time and a half?
US non-exempt employees get it after 40 hours in a workweek under the FLSA; some states add daily triggers. Holiday or weekend time and a half is policy or union contract, not federal law.
How do I calculate time and a half for salaried employees?
Divide weekly salary by 40 for the hourly equivalent, then multiply by 1.5. A $52,000 salary is $25/hour, so time and a half is $37.50.
Is holiday pay automatically time and a half?
No US federal or UK law requires holiday premium pay — it comes from company policy or union agreements. Where offered, 1.5x is the most common rate.
Does time and a half apply to part-time workers?
Part-timers get 1.5x only after crossing the same 40-hour weekly threshold (or state daily thresholds) — part-time status itself does not create an earlier trigger unless policy says so.
Is time and a half calculated on base pay or total pay?
On the regular rate, which legally includes shift differentials, commissions, and non-discretionary bonuses averaged into the hour — often slightly higher than base pay.
Is time and a half taxed differently?
No — it is ordinary wages. Bigger checks may see higher withholding within the pay period, but annual tax rates are unchanged.
What is double time and when does it replace 1.5x?
Double time is 2x pay. California requires it beyond 12 hours in a day and beyond 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday; elsewhere it is a contractual holiday/emergency rate.
✓ Formula verified • Last updated: July 10, 2026