California Overtime Pay Calculator

California pays overtime at 1.5× the regular rate for hours 8–12 in a single day or hours 40+ in a week, 2× for hours past 12 in a day or past 8 on the 7th consecutive workday, and 1.5× for the first 8 hours on that 7th day. Any one of the three triggers (daily, weekly, 7th-day) is enough — you get the highest premium that applies.

Regular hourly rate

$

Hours worked each day (Day 1 = first day of workweek)

Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7

Enter 0 or leave blank for days not worked. If you worked all 7 days, Day 7 is treated as the 7th consecutive day (all hours at 1.5× or 2×).

Enter your hourly rate and at least one day's hours.

0 of 2 filled in.

See also

NY Take-Home Pay

Federal + NY state + NYC + FICA. 2025 tax year.

Open→

Cash-on-Cash Return

Pre-tax cash return on your invested cash in a rental property.

Open→

Hard Money Loan

True cost of capital — interest, points, and effective APR.

Open→

How California overtime works

Current as of 2025. California Labor Code §510 overtime rules and the 2026 CA exempt-salary threshold are current. Changes are reviewed quarterly; material updates are noted in the "Corrections" section if applicable.

California Labor Code §510 has the strictest non-exempt overtime rules in the US. Most states only trigger overtime under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) when weekly hours exceed 40. California adds daily OT triggers and a 7th consecutive day premium on top of the weekly rule (details from the CA Division of Labor Standards Enforcement).

The rules in plain English:

• 8 hours is a workday. Any hour past 8 in a single day triggers overtime at 1.5× regular rate.
• 12 hours is a long day. Any hour past 12 in a single day triggers double time at 2× regular rate.
• 40 hours is a workweek. Any regular hour past 40 in the workweek triggers overtime at 1.5× regular rate (you don't double-count — an hour that already qualified as daily OT isn't paid again under the weekly rule).
• 7th consecutive day. If you work all 7 days in the workweek, your 7th day's first 8 hours are paid at 1.5× and anything beyond 8 hours is paid at 2×.

These rules apply to non-exempt employees in California. Exempt workers (most salaried professionals, some commissioned salespeople, outside salespeople, certain creative roles) aren't covered. The 2026 CA exempt salary threshold is around $68,640/year — below that and you're non-exempt regardless of title.

Who this calculator is for

• Hourly non-exempt workers in California checking their paycheck math
• Small-business owners in CA trying to price out payroll for a busy week
• Anyone disputing an undercalculated pay stub — CA has strong wage theft remedies; unpaid OT can trigger penalties beyond just the missing hours

Formula

For each day d with h hours:

• If day d is the 7th consecutive worked day in the workweek:
  • First 8 hours → 1.5× rate
  • Hours 9+ → 2× rate
• Otherwise:
  • First 8 hours → regular rate
  • Hours 9-12 → 1.5× rate
  • Hours 13+ → 2× rate

After summing daily totals, apply the weekly rule:

if total_regular_hours > 40:
  excess = total_regular_hours − 40
  total_regular_hours = 40
  overtime_hours += excess

Final pay:

total_pay = regular_hours × rate
          + overtime_hours × rate × 1.5
          + double_time_hours × rate × 2

Scenarios at a glance

Weekly gross pay at $25/hour regular rate under different schedules:

Identical total hours can pay differently — ten hours on a sixth-in-a-row day pays less than ten hours on a 7th-consecutive day because the latter triggers double time after hour 8.

Worked example

Marco works in a warehouse at $25/hour in Fresno. One week:

• Monday: 10 hrs
• Tuesday: 9 hrs
• Wednesday: 8 hrs
• Thursday: 12 hrs
• Friday: 8 hrs
• Saturday: 0 (off)
• Sunday: 0 (off)

Per-day breakdown:

• Mon: 8 regular + 2 OT
• Tue: 8 regular + 1 OT
• Wed: 8 regular
• Thu: 8 regular + 4 OT
• Fri: 8 regular

Totals:

• Regular: 40 hours
• 1.5× OT: 7 hours
• 2× double time: 0 hours

Pay:

• Regular: 40 × $25 = $1,000
• Overtime: 7 × $37.50 = $262.50
• Total gross: $1,262.50

Notice: if Marco also worked 4 hours on Saturday, those hours come AFTER his 40 regular hours from Monday-Friday, so the weekly trigger applies and all 4 Saturday hours are paid at 1.5×. Marco gets an extra 4 × $37.50 = $150 for Saturday.

The "regular rate" is more than your hourly wage

The multiplier applies to the regular rate of pay, and California (like the FLSA) defines that as more than the number on your offer letter. Nondiscretionary bonuses (production, attendance, quota), shift differentials, and most incentive pay must be folded into the regular rate before the 1.5×/2× math runs (DLSE overtime FAQ). Two consequences:

• A $25/hour worker with a $100 weekly production bonus has a regular rate above $25, so every overtime hour that week pays more than $37.50.
• An employer computing OT on the bare hourly rate while paying nondiscretionary bonuses is underpaying — this is one of the most common wage-claim categories.

The calculator above takes the rate you enter as the regular rate; if you earn nondiscretionary bonuses, add their per-hour value to your input to keep the result honest.

What overtime is worth after taxes

The calculator computes gross overtime. What you keep is less, but overtime is not "taxed extra" — it is ordinary income; a fatter paycheck can simply have more withheld up front:

• Federal and state income tax treat OT earnings like any other wages at your marginal rate; Social Security and Medicare (7.65%) apply as usual (IRS Topic 751).
• Some payroll systems withhold California supplemental wages (including some OT treatments) at a flat 6.6% state rate — withholding, not final tax; it reconciles at filing.
• For tax years 2025–2028 a federal deduction for qualified overtime premium pay exists (from the 2025 federal tax law); whether and how much it helps depends on your filing situation — check current IRS guidance rather than assuming the full premium is deduction-eligible.

A rough planning band: most California workers keep roughly 55–70% of a marginal overtime dollar after federal, state, and FICA, with high earners at the lower end. For an after-tax view of a full paycheck, the same layered math is worked through in our New York take-home calculator — the structure is identical, only the state rates differ.

Sources

• California Labor Code §510 — the daily/weekly/7th-day overtime statute
• DLSE Overtime FAQ — the state enforcement agency's interpretation, including regular-rate inclusions
• US DOL, FLSA overtime — the federal baseline
• IRS Topic 751 — Social Security and Medicare withholding rates

FAQ

Is my workweek Sunday-Saturday or something else?

In California, the default workweek is 7 consecutive 24-hour periods starting Sunday at 12:01 AM. Your employer can designate a different workweek (Monday-Sunday, Wednesday-Tuesday, etc.) but it must be fixed and regularly scheduled — they can't pick it week-to-week to avoid OT. Check your handbook or ask HR.

What counts as "hours worked"?

All time you're required to be on duty or at a specified workplace. Includes short rest breaks (paid), on-call time when you can't freely leave, training, travel between jobsites. Does NOT include meal breaks (unpaid, 30+ min) unless you're required to stay on premises or remain on duty.

Does this apply to salaried workers?

Only non-exempt salaried workers (rare). Most salaried professionals are exempt under the executive, administrative, or professional exemptions. Exempt status requires BOTH a qualifying job duty AND a salary at or above the CA threshold (~$68,640/year in 2026). If you're salaried but earning less than that, you're non-exempt and entitled to OT.

What if my employer averages my hours across two weeks?

Illegal in California. OT is computed on a single workweek basis. An employer cannot offset a short week with a long one to avoid OT pay.

Do I get overtime for working on a holiday?

Not automatically. California doesn't require extra pay for holiday work — it just requires OT if total hours in that workweek exceed the daily or weekly thresholds. Many employers pay holiday premiums voluntarily, but it's not state law.

What if my boss doesn't pay the OT I'm owed?

File a wage claim with the California Labor Commissioner's Office (DLSE) or consult an employment attorney. CA has some of the strongest wage-theft remedies in the country — you can recover unpaid wages, interest, liquidated damages (often 25% extra), and attorney's fees. Statute of limitations: 3 years for wage claims; 4 years if pled under the Unfair Competition Law.

Is commission-based work subject to overtime?

Depends. "Inside sales" (commissioned reps who work at the employer's location) may be exempt if they earn at least 1.5× minimum wage and more than half their compensation comes from commissions. "Outside sales" (field sales, customer-premises visits) are exempt. Straight hourly employees are always eligible for OT.