California overtime calculator

How to use the California overtime calculator

• The overtime rule is already set to California: daily, weekly and seventh day.
• Set the day your workweek starts. If you don't know, Sunday is a safe guess; see the legal section below.
• Enter each shift and any unpaid meal break. Long shifts need care with AM and PM: for 6:00 AM to 7:30 PM, type 6 and 7:30p.
• Add your hourly rate. The calculator splits each day into regular, overtime (1.5x) and double time (2x).
• Check the OT and DT figures under each day's hours, then download the PDF or CSV.

Worked example: a 49-hour week with a 13-hour day

You earn $20 an hour. Your workweek runs Sunday to Saturday. Here is your week, with the overtime the calculator gives each day.

Daily overtime first. Monday's 10 hours are 8 regular and 2 overtime. Tuesday's 13 hours are 8 regular, 4 overtime (hours 9 to 12) and 1 double time (hour 13). Wednesday, Thursday and Friday have no daily overtime.

Then weekly overtime. Regular hours so far are 8 + 8 + 8 + 8 + 6 = 38. On Saturday only 2 more regular hours fit under 40, so the other 2 hours are overtime.

Totals: 40 regular, 2 + 4 + 2 = 8 overtime, and 1 double time, for 49 hours. Pay is 40 × $20 = $800.00, plus 8 × $30 = $240.00, plus 1 × $40 = $40.00. That is $1,080.00.

Under the federal rule the same week would be 40 regular and 9 overtime hours, or $800 + $270 = $1,070.00. California pays $10 more here because of the double-time hour.

Second example: the seventh consecutive day

Say you work all seven days of one workweek: six shifts of 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM (6 hours each), then 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM on the seventh day with a 30-minute break (9 hours).

The first six days give 36 regular hours. On the seventh day the first 8 hours are overtime and the ninth hour is double time. The week is 36 regular, 8 overtime and 1 double time, 45 hours in all.

At $20 an hour: 36 × $20 = $720.00, 8 × $30 = $240.00 and 1 × $40 = $40.00, for $1,000.00. The calculator only applies this rule when all seven days of the workweek have hours.

California overtime rules at a glance

These are the basic rules from the California Labor Commissioner's overtime FAQ. They apply to nonexempt employees unless an exemption or an alternative workweek schedule applies.

How the calculation works

Step 1, each day: out time minus in time, minus unpaid breaks. An out time at or before the in time means the shift crossed midnight.

Step 2, daily tiers: hours up to 8 are regular, hours over 8 up to 12 are overtime, and hours over 12 are double time. On the seventh day of a seven-day week, the first 8 hours are overtime and the rest double time.

Step 3, weekly: the calculator adds regular hours day by day. Once they pass 40, further regular hours become overtime. Hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again toward the 40, so no hour is paid at a premium twice. The Labor Commissioner's office published a 2000 opinion letter on this titled "No Pyramiding of Overtime Hours".

Step 4, pay: regular × rate, overtime × 1.5 × rate, double time × 2 × rate.

Federal law has no daily overtime

Federal law only counts hours over 40 in a workweek. It does not generally require overtime for hours over eight in a day (29 CFR 778.102). That's why a 10-hour day and a 30-hour week gives no overtime under the federal setting but 2 hours under California's.

When both laws apply, the employer has to meet both. The same regulation says the FLSA does not relieve an employer of any duty under state law to pay premium rates for work over a daily standard. In practice, California workers usually get the more generous result.

Common mistakes with California overtime

• Checking only the weekly 40. A 38-hour week can still include daily overtime.
• Wrong PM on long shifts. 6 to 7:30 reads as 6:00 AM to 7:30 AM. Type 7:30p.
• Seventh day by calendar. The rule is for the seventh consecutive day of work in one workweek, not any Sunday, and not seven days that span two workweeks.
• Counting daily overtime twice. Hours paid as daily overtime don't also count toward the weekly 40.
• Overnight shifts across the workday line. California counts daily overtime by workday, a 24-hour period that starts at the same time each day. This calculator puts a whole shift on the day it started. If your shift runs past the start of your next workday, check that day by hand.

Legal basics

This is general information, not legal advice. The calculator gives an estimate. It does not model alternative workweek schedules, exempt status, or industry wage orders with different rules.

A California workday is "a consecutive 24-hour period beginning at the same time each calendar day", and a workweek is "any seven consecutive days, starting with the same calendar day each week" (DLSE glossary). If the employer's records don't set a workweek, the DLSE's enforcement manual says it will use the calendar week from Sunday to Saturday, with each workday ending at midnight.

For overtime that isn't paid, the Labor Commissioner's FAQ explains how to file a wage claim.