Overtime Pay Calculator: Calculate Your Overtime Wages and Back Pay

Overtime violations are among the most common wage theft claims in the country — often not because employers are deliberately cheating workers, but because the rules around calculating the "regular rate of pay" are genuinely complicated. The CalcHub Overtime Pay Calculator computes what you're owed under federal FLSA rules and highlights state laws that may provide greater protections.

The Basic FLSA Rule

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid:

• 1.5× the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek


• Overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period

A simple example: $20/hr × 1.5 = $30/hr overtime rate. For 10 overtime hours: $300 in overtime pay.

What Is the "Regular Rate of Pay"?

Here's where it gets complicated. The regular rate isn't just your hourly wage — it includes all remuneration for employment in the workweek divided by all hours worked:

Included in Regular Rate	Excluded from Regular Rate
Hourly wages	Overtime premiums already paid
Piece-rate earnings	Gifts and Christmas bonuses
Non-discretionary bonuses	Vacation, holiday, sick pay
Shift differentials	Expense reimbursements
On-call pay	Discretionary bonuses

Example: An employee earns $18/hr base pay plus a $200 non-discretionary weekly production bonus, and works 50 hours in a week.

• Total straight-time compensation: (50 hrs × $18) + $200 = $1,100
• Regular rate: $1,100 ÷ 50 hrs = $22/hr
• Overtime premium due: 10 overtime hours × ($22 × 0.5 premium) = $110
• Total compensation: $1,100 + $110 = $1,210

Without the bonus factored in, the employee might be paid $1,100 + $90 = $1,190 — a $20 underpayment per week that adds up.

State Laws That Exceed FLSA

Some states have more protective overtime rules:

State	Rule
California	OT after 8 hours/day AND 40 hours/week; double time after 12 hrs/day
Nevada	OT after 8 hours/day for employees earning less than 1.5× minimum wage
Alaska	OT after 8 hours/day AND 40 hours/week

The calculator flags your state's specific rules alongside federal requirements.

Calculating Back Pay

If you've been misclassified or underpaid, back pay applies for up to 2 years (3 years for willful violations). Enter your weekly hours, actual pay received, and correct rate, and the calculator shows:

Scenario	Weekly Underpayment	2-Year Back Pay
10 hrs OT/week at wrong rate	$50/week	$5,200
5 hrs OT/week completely missed	$135/week	$14,040
Non-discretionary bonus not in rate	$20/week	$2,080

Liquidated damages under FLSA effectively double the back pay amount in many cases.

Am I "exempt" from overtime?

Exempt status under FLSA requires both: (1) a salary of at least $684/week and (2) meeting specific duties tests (executive, administrative, professional, or other exemptions). Many workers are misclassified as exempt. The calculator includes an exemption checklist.

My employer pays a salary and says I'm not entitled to overtime. Is that true?

Not automatically. Salaried status alone doesn't create exemption. You must also meet the duties test. Many salaried retail managers, office workers, and IT professionals are wrongly classified as exempt.

What if my employer retaliated after I raised a wage complaint?

Retaliation for asserting overtime rights is illegal under FLSA. Document any changes in treatment and consult an employment attorney — retaliation claims are separate from the underlying wage claim and carry their own remedies.

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