Most online hours calculators only apply the federal rule: overtime after 40 hours in a week. That's not enough if you work in California. Under California Labor Code Section 510, non-exempt employees are entitled to daily overtime — 1.5x pay for hours worked beyond 8 in a single workday, and 2x pay (double time) for hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday — regardless of how many total hours you worked that week. Work a single 10-hour shift and you've already earned 2 hours of overtime, even if the rest of your week is light.

This California overtime calculator applies both layers correctly. For each day, it splits your hours into regular (up to 8), overtime (8 to 12, at 1.5x), and double time (beyond 12, at 2x). It then checks the weekly 40-hour threshold as a backstop — so if you work several shorter days that add up to more than 40 hours for the week without any single day exceeding 8 hours, those excess hours are still correctly counted as weekly overtime.

One rule this calculator does not automate: California's 7th consecutive workday rule, which grants overtime for the first 8 hours worked on a 7th consecutive day in a single workweek, and double time beyond that. Because "consecutive days" depends on how your employer defines your workweek, we've left that calculation out rather than risk giving you an inaccurate number — see the FAQ below for what to do if you worked all seven days.

Outside California and just need standard federal overtime? Our weekly hours calculator applies the 40-hour federal rule. Paid biweekly? Use our biweekly time card calculator instead — note that California's daily rules still apply on top of it if you work in CA.

This tool provides estimates for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional payroll or legal advice. See our Terms of Service for details.