Double Time Pay Calculator
Enter your hourly wage and double-time hours to see the 2× rate and total premium pay.
Double time is twice your regular hourly rate. At $21 an hour double time is $42 an hour, so four double-time hours pay $168 and a full 8-hour double-time shift pays $336. No federal law requires it: double time comes from California’s daily overtime rules, a union contract, or an employer’s own policy.
What double time is
Double time means 200% of your regular hourly rate — twice your normal wage for each qualifying hour. Unlike time and a half, federal law never requires double time; it comes from state law (mainly California), union contracts, or company policy.
Double time by hourly rate
Look up your wage below, or type any rate into the calculator above. The 2-, 4- and 8-hour columns are the most common double-time blocks: two hours past a 12-hour California day, half a shift, and a full shift.
| Regular rate | Double time /h | 2 hours | 4 hours | 8 hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | $24.00 | $48.00 | $96.00 | $192.00 |
| $13.00 | $26.00 | $52.00 | $104.00 | $208.00 |
| $14.00 | $28.00 | $56.00 | $112.00 | $224.00 |
| $15.00 | $30.00 | $60.00 | $120.00 | $240.00 |
| $16.00 | $32.00 | $64.00 | $128.00 | $256.00 |
| $17.00 | $34.00 | $68.00 | $136.00 | $272.00 |
| $18.00 | $36.00 | $72.00 | $144.00 | $288.00 |
| $19.00 | $38.00 | $76.00 | $152.00 | $304.00 |
| $20.00 | $40.00 | $80.00 | $160.00 | $320.00 |
| $21.00 | $42.00 | $84.00 | $168.00 | $336.00 |
| $22.00 | $44.00 | $88.00 | $176.00 | $352.00 |
| $23.00 | $46.00 | $92.00 | $184.00 | $368.00 |
| $24.00 | $48.00 | $96.00 | $192.00 | $384.00 |
| $25.00 | $50.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 | $400.00 |
| $26.00 | $52.00 | $104.00 | $208.00 | $416.00 |
| $27.00 | $54.00 | $108.00 | $216.00 | $432.00 |
| $28.00 | $56.00 | $112.00 | $224.00 | $448.00 |
| $29.00 | $58.00 | $116.00 | $232.00 | $464.00 |
| $30.00 | $60.00 | $120.00 | $240.00 | $480.00 |
| $32.00 | $64.00 | $128.00 | $256.00 | $512.00 |
| $35.00 | $70.00 | $140.00 | $280.00 | $560.00 |
| $40.00 | $80.00 | $160.00 | $320.00 | $640.00 |
| $45.00 | $90.00 | $180.00 | $360.00 | $720.00 |
| $50.00 | $100.00 | $200.00 | $400.00 | $800.00 |
For a rate that is not listed, double it for the hourly figure and multiply by your hours — double time has no cap, no phase-out and no rate table of its own, so the arithmetic stays this simple however high the wage goes.
When double time applies
- California law: 2× pay after 12 hours in a single workday, and after 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek. (Hours 8–12 in a day are time and a half.)
- Union agreements: many trades contracts pay double time for Sundays, holidays, or second shifts of overtime.
- Company policy: some employers voluntarily pay 2× for major holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas to staff shifts.
California’s pay tiers in one table
California is the only state whose overtime law reaches 2×, and it gets there two different ways — a long day, and a long streak of days. The statute pays the same multipliers for both, so it is worth seeing all five tiers together.
| Hours worked | Multiplier | At $21/h |
|---|---|---|
| First 8 in a workday | 1× | $21.00 |
| Over 8, up to and including 12, in a workday | 1.5× | $31.50 |
| Over 12 in a workday | 2× | $42.00 |
| First 8 on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek | 1.5× | $31.50 |
| Over 8 on the seventh consecutive day | 2× | $42.00 |
Note what the seventh-day rule does: it drops the time-and-a-half threshold from “over 8 hours” down to the very first hour, and the double-time threshold from 12 hours down to 8. A modest shift on the wrong day is paid like a very long shift on any other day.
Worked examples
A 14-hour day. A California employee earning $21/hour works 14 hours. Hours 1–8 are regular ($168), hours 9–12 are time and a half (4 × $31.50 = $126), and hours 13–14 are double time (2 × $42 = $84). Day’s total: $378.
A 10-hour seventh day. The same employee works 10 hours on the seventh consecutive day of the workweek. The first 8 hours are time and a half (8 × $31.50 = $252) and hours 9–10 are double time (2 × $42 = $84). Shift total: $336 — as much as eight straight double-time hours, for a shift only two hours longer than a normal one.
One caveat on both examples: the multiplier applies to your regular rate of pay, not necessarily your posted hourly wage. If you earn commission, piece rate, or a nondiscretionary bonus, California computes the regular rate from total weekly earnings first, then pays the extra half rate or full rate on top of it.
Frequently asked questions
What is double time pay for $21 an hour?
$42 an hour. Four hours at double time pay $168, and a full 8-hour double-time shift pays $336. Note that on a long California workday only the hours past 12 are paid at 2× — a 14-hour day at $21 pays $378 in total, of which $84 is the double-time portion.
Is double time required on holidays?
No U.S. federal or state law requires double time specifically for working a holiday. Holiday premiums are set by company policy or union contract. California’s double-time rules are about long days and seventh consecutive workdays — they apply on holidays only when those thresholds are crossed.
Is double time taxed at a higher rate?
The pay itself is taxed like any other wages — there is no special double-time tax rate. What can change is withholding. IRS Publication 15 (2026) lists overtime pay among supplemental wages, so an employer that pays it as a separate payment may withhold federal income tax at the flat 22% supplemental rate; the same publication also lets employers treat overtime as regular wages instead. Either way withholding is only a deposit: your actual tax is settled on your return, so a big double-time week that pushed percentage-method withholding into a higher band comes back as a refund.
What is double time and a half?
2.5× the regular rate — seen in some union and government contracts for holiday overtime. At $20/hour that is $50/hour. You can approximate it here by adding your regular rate result to the time-and-a-half figure.
Does overtime become double time after a certain number of hours?
Only where a law or contract says so. Federally, everything past 40 hours/week is 1.5× no matter how extreme. In California, daily hours past 12 flip to 2×. Some contracts flip to 2× after a set number of weekly OT hours.
Official sources
Every rate and threshold on this page comes from the issuing agency. Verify anything here against the primary source:
- California DIR — Overtime FAQ — the double-time triggers: past 12 hours in a workday, and past 8 hours on the seventh consecutive workday
- California DIR — Exceptions to the General Overtime Law — alternative workweek schedules and industry wage orders that move these thresholds
- DOL Fact Sheet #23 — Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA — federal law requires only 1.5x — never double time — however long the week runs
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), section 7 — Supplemental Wages — overtime pay is on the supplemental-wages list, and employers may instead treat it as regular wages
Last reviewed: 2026-09-09 · Report an issue