How to use this calculator
- Set the first date to match the employer’s workweek and copy your daily punches.
- Use punch gaps for unpaid meals, or enter the unpaid meal length once in break minutes.
- Review daily worked totals and the California allocation, then print or export for your records.
Formula
Each day’s worked minutes are its segment sum minus unpaid deductions. The California preset assigns ordinary-day time above eight hours to overtime, above twelve to double time, and checks the qualifying seventh day. Weekly regular minutes above forty hours move to overtime without counting the same daily premium twice.
Worked examples
Five days after unpaid meals
Schedule: 8:00 + 8:00 + 8:00 + 8:00 + 8:00 of net worked time. The engine calculates 40:00 (40.00 hours).
Regular: 40:00 (40.00 h); overtime: 0:00 (0.00 h); double time: 0:00 (0.00 h). At $24.00 per hour, estimated gross pay is $960.00.
Build a readable California time card
The focus here is the record you take away: dated rows, complete in/out pairs, a clear unpaid-meal deduction, and both clock-style and decimal totals. Start with the punch evidence and verify the worked column before reviewing pay. A thirty-minute lunch recorded as a gap needs no second deduction. California paid rest periods remain in worked time. A consistent entry method makes later payroll comparisons easier because you can trace each total to its source.
Use the California overtime companion for rule detail
The linked California overtime calculator explains daily thresholds, double time, the seventh consecutive day, meal and rest requirements, and alternative workweek limitations with several computed examples. This page uses the same standard California engine while concentrating on card preparation and export. Neither page adds missed-break premiums or models alternative workweek elections. Overnight shifts belong to their start date here, so reconcile that assumption with the employer’s workday boundary before treating an overnight allocation as final.
Close the record with a daily review
Before exporting, review any day above eight hours and any seventh-day work entry against its original punches. Confirm that unpaid meal time is removed exactly once and paid rest time remains included. Keep questions about meal timing or missed-break premiums separate from the card’s worked-minute arithmetic because those additional premiums are outside its gross calculation. A clean daily record makes the more detailed overtime companion easier to use when you need to understand an allocation.
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.
Frequently asked questions
Is this different from the California overtime page?
The calculator engine is shared. This page helps prepare and export a dated time card, while the overtime companion explains how the legal thresholds affect pay in several schedules.
Should I remove ten-minute rest breaks?
California’s verified rest rule provides paid rest periods of ten minutes per four hours or major fraction. Keep paid rest time in worked hours rather than entering it as an unpaid deduction.
Can I print the completed California card?
Yes. The Print button formats the current card for the browser print dialog. CSV exports daily allocations, and the PDF button creates a summary. Keep the original punches with any exported estimate.
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.