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HR Compliance Calculators
Updated 2026

California Overtime Calculator

California figures overtime by the day as well as by the week — 1.5× after 8 hours, double time after 12, and seventh-day premiums — without counting any hour twice. Enter each day’s hours and see the full breakdown under Labor Code §510.

Use this calculator when

  • Non-exempt employee working in California
  • Any day ran past 8 hours, or the week past 40
  • You want the daily / double-time / weekly split, not just a total
  • Standard schedule — not an approved alternative workweek
Wrong fit?For employees outside California, the federal weekly-only rule applies.FLSA Overtime Calculator

Calculator

Enter hours for each day of the workweek. California figures overtime daily and weekly.

Hours worked each day

8 reg · 2×1.5
8 reg · 1×1.5

Total pay for the week

$1,250.00

55 hours · $0.00 more than the federal weekly-only rule

Straight time
40 hr · $800.00
1.5× (daily + weekly)
15 hr · $450.00
2× double time
0 hr · $0.00
Federal would pay
$1,250.00

Total pay $1,250.00 for 55 hours: 40 at straight time, 15 at 1.5×, and 0 at 2×. That is $0.00 more than the federal weekly-only rule would pay.

All seven days have hours, so the seventh day is treated as the seventh consecutive day: its first 8 hours are paid at 1.5× and any hours beyond 8 at 2× (Labor Code §510(a)).

For this particular schedule the California and federal totals happen to match — daily overtime and weekly overtime landed on the same hours. Concentrate the hours into longer days and California pulls ahead.

This applies the standard California daily and weekly overtime rules. It does not cover alternative workweek schedules (a voted 4/10 or 9/80), industry-specific IWC wage orders, meal- and rest-period premiums, or the higher exempt salary threshold. It assumes a single workweek entered in order.

How the calculation works

for each day:
straight = min(hours, 8)
time_half = max(0, min(hours, 12) − 8)
double = max(0, hours − 12)
seventh consecutive day:
time_half = min(hours, 8); double = max(0, hours − 8)
weekly (straight-time hours only, no pyramiding):
weekly_ot = max(0, Σ straight − 40) → moved to time_half
pay = rate×straight + rate×1.5×time_half + rate×2×double

The order matters. Daily overtime is assigned first; the weekly test then looks only at the hours still at straight time. That is what stops an hour from being paid as daily overtime and counted again toward the 40-hour weekly threshold.

Worked example

An employee earning $20/hr works one 14-hour day and four 8-hour days — 46 hours.

  1. 14-hour day: 8 straight, 4 at 1.5× (hours 9–12), 2 at 2× (hours 13–14)
  2. Four 8-hour days: 32 straight, no daily overtime
  3. Straight-time total: 8 + 32 = 40 → no weekly overtime
  4. Straight: 40 × $20 = $800.00
  5. Time-and-a-half: 4 × $30 = $120.00
  6. Double time: 2 × $40 = $80.00
  7. California total: $1,000.00
  8. Federal weekly-only (46 h): 40 × $20 + 6 × $30 = $980.00

California pays $20 more here, driven by the two double-time hours. The gap grows with long days. Spread the same 46 hours evenly and the two methods can land on the same total — daily and weekly overtime sometimes fall on the same hours. The calculator shows the federal figure alongside so you can see the difference for any schedule.

Frequently asked questions

How is overtime calculated in California?

California requires overtime both daily and weekly. Non-exempt employees earn 1.5× their regular rate for hours over 8 in a workday and for hours over 40 in a workweek, and 2× (double time) for hours over 12 in a workday. On the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek, the first 8 hours are paid at 1.5× and any hours beyond 8 at 2×. All of this is in Labor Code §510.

Do daily and weekly overtime stack?

No — California does not allow "pyramiding." An hour that has already been paid as daily overtime is not counted again toward the 40-hour weekly threshold. In practice, weekly overtime applies only to straight-time hours: if the straight-time hours across the week exceed 40, the excess is paid at 1.5×. This calculator applies that rule, which is why a week of six 8-hour days and a week with one 14-hour day produce very different results.

When does double time apply?

Double time (2× the regular rate) applies to hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday, and to hours beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek. Federal law has no double-time requirement at all, so this is one of the main reasons a California payroll comes out higher than a federal-only calculation.

What counts as the "seventh consecutive day"?

The seventh consecutive day worked within the employer’s defined workweek. This calculator treats day 7 as the seventh consecutive day only when all seven days have hours; a day off breaks the streak. Note the rule is tied to the workweek, not the calendar week — if your workweek starts on Wednesday, the seventh day is the following Tuesday.

Does the fluctuating workweek method work in California?

No. California prohibits the fluctuating workweek method and requires overtime to be paid at 1.5× (or 2×) the regular rate under its daily and weekly rules. If you are paying a fixed salary to a non-exempt California employee, overtime must still be computed on top under §510.

What about alternative workweek schedules like 4/10?

California allows an alternative workweek schedule (for example four 10-hour days) without daily overtime, but only if it was adopted by a formal two-thirds employee vote and filed with the state. Informal 4/10 arrangements do not qualify. This calculator applies the standard 8-hour daily threshold and does not model an approved alternative workweek.

Related reading

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