Time and a Half Calculator
Type your hourly wage to see your time-and-a-half rate, and what any number of hours at that rate is worth.
How time and a half works
“Time and a half” means being paid 150% of your regular hourly rate. It is the minimum overtime premium required by the FLSA for non-exempt employees who work more than 40 hours in a week, and many employers also offer it for holidays or weekend shifts by policy.
Time and a half for common wages
| Regular rate | Time & a half | 8 hours pays |
|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | $18.00 | $144.00 |
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $180.00 |
| $16.50 | $24.75 | $198.00 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $216.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $240.00 |
| $22.00 | $33.00 | $264.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $300.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $360.00 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $420.00 |
Worked example
At $18/hour, time and a half is 18 × 1.5 = $27/hour. Six overtime hours pay 6 × $27 = $162 — that’s $54 more than the same six hours at your regular rate.
Time and a half of what? The regular rate
The 1.5× multiplier is applied to your regular rate, not automatically to your base wage. Under the FLSA the regular rate folds in shift differentials, commissions and any bonus promised in advance. If you earn a differential on every hour, the overtime premium has to be computed on the combined rate.
$18/hour + $2/hour night differential, 45 hours: the regular rate is $20.00, so the 5 overtime hours pay 5 × $30.00 = $150.00. A payroll that multiplies only the base and adds the differential flat pays 5 × ($27.00 + $2.00) = $145.00 — $5.00 short.
Bonus true-ups and salaried overtime follow the same logic with more steps; the FLSA overtime rules guide works each case through.
What counts toward the 40 hours
- Hours worked, not hours paid. Federal regulations treat vacation, holiday and sick pay as “not made as compensation for his hours of employment,” so those hours do not push you over 40. A week with 32 hours worked plus an 8-hour paid holiday has no federal overtime, even though you are paid for 40. (Some employers and union contracts count paid leave anyway; that is a policy, not the federal rule.)
- The workweek is fixed. It is a set 168-hour period — seven consecutive 24-hour days — that can start on any day, but cannot be moved around to avoid overtime.
- No averaging. Each workweek stands alone: 30 hours one week and 50 the next is 10 overtime hours, even though the pay period totals 80.
Comp time is not a private-sector substitute
“We’ll give you the time back later” is not a lawful way to settle overtime at a private company. The FLSA allows compensatory time off instead of overtime pay only for employees of a public agency — a state, a political subdivision, or an interstate governmental agency — and even there it accrues at 1.5 hours per overtime hour. A private employer owes the cash on the regular payday for that period.
Time and a half and the 2026 overtime tax deduction
For 2025 through 2028, federal law lets eligible workers deduct “qualified overtime compensation” — but only the premium half of FLSA-required time and a half, not the whole overtime paycheck. In the $18/hour example above, 6 hours pay $162.00, of which 6 × $9.00 = $54.00 counts toward the deduction. The deduction is capped at $12,500 a year ($25,000 on a joint return), phases out above $150,000 of modified AGI ($300,000 joint), and does not reduce Social Security or Medicare tax. From 2026 your employer reports the qualified amount on your W-2 in box 12 with code TT.
Frequently asked questions
What is time and a half for $15 an hour?
$22.50 per hour. An 8-hour shift at time and a half pays $180 instead of $120.
When is time and a half legally required?
For non-exempt employees, after 40 hours of work in a workweek under federal law. Some states also require it for daily overtime (e.g., after 8 hours/day in California) or seventh-consecutive-day work. Holiday time and a half, by contrast, is a company policy — not a legal requirement. The exception is Rhode Island, whose law requires at least 1.5× from most private employers for work on Sundays and listed holidays, subject to exemptions.
How does time and a half work for tipped employees?
Overtime is calculated on the full minimum wage, not the lower cash wage. Example at the federal $7.25 minimum: overtime rate is $7.25 × 1.5 = $10.88, minus the tip credit of up to $5.12, so the required cash overtime wage is at least $5.76 — not $2.13 × 1.5.
Do bonuses change my time-and-a-half rate?
Yes, if they are non-discretionary (promised production, attendance or performance bonuses). They are averaged into your “regular rate” for the period, which raises the base your 1.5× is computed on. Purely discretionary gifts do not.
Do paid holidays or PTO count toward the 40 hours?
Not under federal law. Overtime is triggered by hours actually worked; vacation, holiday and sick hours are paid but not worked, so they do not count toward 40. An employer or union contract can choose to count them, and some state rules differ, but the FLSA does not require it.
Can my employer give me comp time instead of time and a half?
Not if it is a private employer. Under the FLSA, compensatory time off in place of overtime pay is limited to employees of state and local government agencies, and it must accrue at 1.5 hours for each overtime hour.
Is all of my time-and-a-half pay tax-free in 2026?
No. The federal overtime deduction covers only the premium half: at $18/hour, $9.00 of each $27.00 overtime hour. It is a deduction on your return (up to $12,500, or $25,000 joint), not a withholding exemption, and Social Security and Medicare still apply to the full amount.
Official sources
Every rate and threshold on this page comes from the issuing agency. Verify anything here against the primary source:
- DOL Fact Sheet #23 — Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA — time and a half as the FLSA minimum overtime premium past 40 hours
- DOL Fact Sheet #15 — Tipped Employees Under the FLSA — tipped overtime is computed on the full $7.25 minimum, not the $2.13 cash wage; maximum tip credit $5.12
- DOL Fact Sheet #56A — Regular Rate of Pay Under the FLSA — non-discretionary bonuses fold into the regular rate your 1.5x is based on
- 29 CFR 778.105 — Determining the workweek — a fixed, regularly recurring period of 168 hours that need not match the calendar week
- 29 CFR 778.218 — Pay for certain idle hours — vacation, holiday and sick pay is not compensation for hours of employment and cannot be credited toward overtime
- 29 U.S.C. § 207(o) — Compensatory time — comp time in lieu of overtime is available to employees of a public agency, not private employers
- IRS — Questions and answers about the new deduction for qualified overtime compensation — only the premium portion qualifies; $12,500 / $25,000 limit; $150,000 / $300,000 MAGI phase-out
- California DIR — Overtime FAQ — state daily-overtime rules that require 1.5x before 40 weekly hours are reached
- Rhode Island DLT — Labor Standards FAQ — the Rhode Island statutory 1.5x for Sunday and holiday work
Last reviewed: 2026-09-25 · Report an issue