How to use this calculator
- Set the start date to the first day of your employer’s workweek, then enter every workday, including short weekend shifts.
- Record split shifts as separate punches. Deduct an unpaid meal once; keep paid rest periods in worked time.
- Enter your hourly regular rate. Review the regular, time-and-a-half, and double-time columns before exporting your estimate.
Formula
For an ordinary workday, the first eight hours are regular, hours above eight through twelve are 1.5×, and hours above twelve are 2×. Still-regular hours above forty in one workweek move to 1.5× without counting daily overtime again. Gross = regular hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × 1.5 + double-time hours × rate × 2.
Worked examples
One 13-hour day at $20: daily overtime and double time
Schedule: 13:00 of net worked time. The engine calculates 13:00 (13.00 hours).
Regular: 8:00 (8.00 h); overtime: 4:00 (4.00 h); double time: 1:00 (1.00 h). At $20.00 per hour, estimated gross pay is $320.00.
Five 10-hour days at $24: no overtime pyramiding
Schedule: 10:00 + 10:00 + 10:00 + 10:00 + 10:00 of net worked time. The engine calculates 50:00 (50.00 hours).
Regular: 40:00 (40.00 h); overtime: 10:00 (10.00 h); double time: 0:00 (0.00 h). At $24.00 per hour, estimated gross pay is $1,320.00.
Six 6-hour days plus 10 hours on day seven at $20
Schedule: 6:00 + 6:00 + 6:00 + 6:00 + 6:00 + 6:00 + 10:00 of net worked time. The engine calculates 46:00 (46.00 hours).
Regular: 36:00 (36.00 h); overtime: 8:00 (8.00 h); double time: 2:00 (2.00 h). At $20.00 per hour, estimated gross pay is $1,040.00.
Overnight shifts and workday attribution
Each punch segment belongs entirely to the day it starts. An out time earlier than the in time crosses midnight. Daily totals, daily overtime, California seventh-day overtime, and weekly overtime all use that start-day attribution, including across a biweekly boundary. California daily overtime counts all hours attributed to that 24-hour workday. Employers may define a different fixed 24-hour workday, such as one starting at 6:00 a.m., so payroll results can differ.
Daily overtime and double time
California’s standard rule measures each workday as well as the workweek. A thirteen-hour worked day has eight regular hours, four overtime hours, and one double-time hour even if it is your only shift that week. The examples below use the same calculation engine as the editable time card; change the rate or punches to inspect another schedule.
Seventh consecutive day in a workweek
When you work all seven days of the same workweek, the first eight hours on day seven receive time-and-a-half and the hours above eight receive double time. A run of seven shifts crossing two workweeks does not by itself activate this calculator’s seventh-day allocation. Align the card with the employer’s workweek rather than choosing an arbitrary rolling seven-day window.
Meal and paid rest periods
For shifts longer than five hours, a thirty-minute meal period is required before the end of the fifth hour, with a waiver possible when the shift is no longer than six hours. A second meal is required before the end of the tenth hour; it may be waived for shifts no longer than twelve hours when the first was not waived. Paid rest periods are ten minutes per four hours or major fraction. Missed meal/rest premiums can add an hour at the regular rate per workday; these premiums are not calculated here.
Alternative workweek and estimate limits
A valid alternative workweek, such as four ten-hour days, can change daily overtime treatment. This standard California preset does not model alternative workweek elections, exemptions, or special schedules. Overnight punches belong to their starting day in this tool, which can differ from an employer’s defined workday boundary. Verify that assumption before comparing an overnight estimate to payroll. This calculator provides an estimate, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How are overnight shifts counted?
A 10pm–6am segment counts as eight hours on its start day. A 6pm–8am segment counts as fourteen hours there, giving eight regular, four overtime, and two double-time hours under standard California rules. It stays in the starting workweek. An employer’s different fixed 24-hour workday, such as 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., can change the result.
How does the overtime pay calculator California preset work?
It allocates worked minutes by daily, weekly, and seventh-day thresholds, then multiplies each bucket by the entered regular rate. It estimates gross pay before deductions.
Does California overtime start after eight hours?
Under the standard rule, hours above eight in a workday receive 1.5×. Hours above twelve receive 2×. Exceptions can change these thresholds.
Do I get daily overtime below forty hours per week?
Yes, daily overtime can arise in a short workweek. The forty-hour weekly threshold does not cancel daily overtime already allocated.
What changes on the seventh day?
If all seven days in the same workweek are worked, the first eight hours of day seven are overtime and additional hours are double time.
Are meal and rest breaks deducted?
Enter only unpaid meals in the deduction field. Paid rest periods remain worked time. A gap between punch segments is already excluded.
Does the tool add missed-break premiums?
No. The gross estimate includes worked-time pay buckets, not additional missed meal or rest period premiums.
Can I use this for a four-day, ten-hour schedule?
Not to determine the effect of an alternative workweek. A qualifying arrangement may change daily thresholds, and that exception is not modeled.
Is all California overtime a qualified federal tax deduction?
No. State-law-only daily overtime does not qualify. Use the separate deduction calculator for the FLSA-required premium, determined by workweek.
Sources
- California DLSE overtime FAQ
- California Labor Code section 510
- DLSE meal period FAQ
- DLSE rest period FAQ