Time and a Half Calculator

What is time and a half?

Wouldn't life be easier if employers offered double pay for overtime and holidays? Sadly, that's rarely the case. Instead, you're more likely to find yourself navigating the confusing world of time and a half - that is to say, pay that's 50% higher than your standard rate.

Employees on an hourly salary will usually get time and a half if they work more than 40 hours a week; in some states, they'll also get it when they work more than 8 hours in one day. Some companies also offer time and a half to an employee that works on holidays. However, all these rules can vary between states and between companies.

How do I calculate time and a half?

An example would be this: Steve earns $20 an hour. When Steve gets time and a half, he receives $30 (20 x 1.5).

Things are a little more complicated for employees on a salary, rather than an hourly wage. First, we need to work out an hourly rate of pay. This can be calculated by dividing a week's salary by the number of hours you usually work. Then, multiply this number by 1.5.

Not sure what a week's salary amounts to? Then start by dividing your annual salary by 52.

As an example, let's say that Jill works 40 hours a week and earns $26,000 per year. We'll start by finding Jill's weekly salary. That's $26,000 / 52, which gives us $500. Now we divide $500 by 40 to find Jill's hourly rate: $12.50. Finally, $12.50 x 1.5 gives us $18.75, which is Jill's time and a half pay.

Phew! If all this math is making your head spin, don't worry - you can use our time and a half calculator to do all the hard work for you.

What is time and a half for $20 an hour?

If you are paid $20 per hour, your time and a half pay will equate to $30 per hour ($20 × 1.5).

What is time and a half for $18 an hour?

If you are paid $18 per hour, you will make $27 per hour when being paid time and a half ($18 × 1.5) and $36 when being paid double time.

What is time and a half for $17 an hour?

If you receive an hourly wage of $17 per hour, your time and a half overtime pay will equate to $25.50 per hour ($17 × 1.5).

What is time and a half for $16 an hour?

If you are paid $16 per hour, your time and a half pay will equate to $24 per hour ($16 × 1.5).

What is time and a half for $15 an hour?

If you are paid $15 per hour, you will make $22.50 per hour when being paid time and a half ($15 × 1.5) and $30 when earning double time.

Time and a half for common hourly pay rates

How do I calculate time and a half plus my standard salary?

If you usually work a 40-hour week, but one week you do 48 hours, your pay slip may seem a bit more complicated. That's because you'll be paid for 40 hours as standard, then you'll get time and a half on the extra 8.

How does that work? Let's go back to the example of Steve, who earns $20 an hour, or $30 when he gets time and a half. In a regular week, Steve gets paid $800 ($20 x 40). With 8 hours of overtime, we have a couple more steps. 8 x $30 gives us $240, so we add that to Steve's base pay of $800. In total, Steve will take home $1040 for the week.

Who is actually entitled to time and a half?

The good news is that the federal government has mandated certain protections for employees in the United States. The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, known as the FLSA, lays out a basic framework that employers must follow. Essentially, employees who work more than 40 hours a week must receive overtime pay. The law defines overtime pay as time and a half, but this is just the federal minimum. To incentivize their workers, employers can offer a more generous overtime payment if they wish. 1

The federal government has not introduced any legislature on the subject of holiday pay. If you work Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays, you're not legally entitled to any special pay. Despite the lack of any legal requirement, holiday pay is commonly offered by most employers, to incentivize workers and keep them happy. There's no federally mandated rate, though.

Watch out, because some employees are considered exempt, and are not covered by federal overtime legislation. Exempt employees include people who earn at least twice the state minimum wage, and employees in certain licensed or certified professions. Those who are employed by a close family member, those who work in domestic service or agriculture, and long-distance truck drivers may also be exempt. 2

It's also worth checking out individual states' laws about overtime. At a federal level, overtime is only legislated on a weekly basis. However, some states and territories insist on overtime for any day in which an employee works more than 8 hours. At present, these are Alaska, California, Nevada, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. In addition, Colorado has overtime pay if an employee works more than 12 hours in a day. Oregon offers time and a half for days of more than 10 hours, but only in the manufacturing sector. 3

What is holiday policy like in the US private sector?

In the public sector, employees are given 13 annual national holidays off, with pay. However, the private sector is a different beast. Every company can set its own holiday policy, but there are some common trends. Although there's no federal requirement to offer overtime pay on national holidays, most private sector companies either give their employees time and a half, or the day off with pay.

The law also varies somewhat depending on the sector. In retail, employees require a police permit and state approval to work on Christmas, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving, and Veteran's Day. No permit is required to work on New Year's Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, or Columbus Day, but workers must be paid time and a half. However, retail workers have the right to refuse to work these holidays.

To add to the confusion, things are different in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the only two states that oblige private employers to give paid time off on federal holidays. In Massachusetts, this law also applies to some state holidays.

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