Time and a Half Calculator

Multiply the hourly rate by 1.5 for every hour above the threshold. At £20 an hour, overtime pays £30, so 50 hours with a 40-hour threshold is £800 plus £300, or £1,100.

In most overtime law it is not the base rate — it includes non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials and commission, averaged over the period. Computing overtime off the base rate alone underpays, and it is the most common overtime error.

Commonly after 40 hours in a week, but several jurisdictions also use a daily threshold, and many contracts set their own. Some count only hours actually worked, excluding paid holiday, which changes the answer in a week containing a bank holiday.

It depends entirely on where you work and whether your role is exempt. Some countries mandate a premium, some leave it to contract, and many exempt salaried professional and managerial staff. Check the rules for your jurisdiction and classification.

Total pay divided by total hours — what you effectively earned per hour across the whole period. It is the figure to quote when comparing a heavy overtime week against a straight-time job offer.

Not automatically. Salaried does not mean exempt in most systems: exemption usually turns on duties and a minimum salary threshold, and misclassifying a salaried worker as exempt is a common and expensive employer error.

In many systems no — only hours actually worked count. That means a week with a public holiday can reach 40 paid hours without triggering any overtime, which surprises people every year.

Sometimes, under a formal arrangement, and the rules vary sharply. Where compensatory time is permitted it is usually required at the same premium — an hour and a half off for each overtime hour, not one for one.

Exemption usually turns on your duties and a minimum salary threshold rather than on being salaried. Misclassification is common, and the tests differ by country, so check against your own jurisdiction's criteria.

Usually on a weighted average of the rates worked that week, which becomes the regular rate for the overtime premium. Applying whichever rate you happened to be on when the threshold was crossed is not correct.

A non-discretionary bonus generally must be spread across the period it was earned and the overtime premium recalculated. It is one of the more frequently missed adjustments in payroll.

Keep your own contemporaneous record of hours — that record is often decisive. Most jurisdictions have a wage claim process with a time limit, so raising it promptly matters.