It is Friday afternoon. Two employees are closing in on 40 hours each. A full weekend shift is still on the schedule. Do you send them home or absorb the overtime?
Most GMs make that call by feel. This calculator gives you the number before you decide.
How to use this timesheet calculator
Enter daily hours for the full week. Set your overtime threshold, 40 hours federal by default, adjustable for state rules. Add the hourly rate and the calculator does the rest.
It breaks down regular hours, overtime hours, OT pay, and total gross pay. Switch the state to California, Alaska, or Nevada and daily overtime rules apply automatically.
How weekly timesheet calculations work
A timesheet calculator does one thing: adds up daily hours, then splits them at the overtime threshold.
Here is how it works:
- Sum all hours worked across the 7-day workweek
- Compare the total to the overtime threshold
- Hours up to the threshold are paid at regular rate
- Hours beyond it are paid at 1.5x
- Add both for total gross pay
One thing that catches operators off guard: overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period. Bi-weekly payroll does not change this. Each 7-day workweek stands on its own. An employee at 35 hours one week and 45 the next owes overtime for week two only. The two-week total does not average out.
How to calculate time and a half
Time and a half is 1.5 times the regular hourly rate for every overtime hour worked.
The formula:
Overtime Pay = Hourly Rate × 1.5 × Overtime Hours
An $18/hr employee who works 44 hours in a week:
- Regular pay: $18 × 40 hours = $720
- Overtime hours: 4
- Overtime rate: $18 × 1.5 = $27/hr
- Overtime pay: $27 × 4 = $108
- Total gross pay: $720 + $108 = $828
That $108 is the number worth knowing on Thursday. Not after payroll closes.
State overtime rules
Federal - Overtime starts after 40 hours in a week. No daily rule.
California - Overtime starts after 8 hours in a day and after 40 hours in a week.
Alaska - Overtime starts after 8 hours in a day and after 40 hours in a week.
Nevada - Overtime starts after 8 hours in a day, but only for employees earning below 1.5 times the state minimum wage.
California has two overtime rules. Cross 8 hours in a single day and overtime applies. It does not matter if the weekly total is under 40 hours. Most operators find this out the hard way.
FAQs
How does a timesheet calculator work?
It does the math so you do not have to. Add daily hours, set your rate, and it tells you exactly what an employee costs that week. Regular pay, overtime pay, total gross pay. All in one place.
Does overtime reset every week?
Yes. Each workweek is its own 7-day period. Hours do not carry over and they do not average out. Someone at 35 hours one week and 45 the next only owes overtime for week two.
How do you calculate hours worked for payroll?
Start time minus end time, minus any unpaid breaks. Do that for each day, then add up the daily totals for the week. That weekly number is what payroll works from. If it crosses the overtime threshold, split it before applying pay rates.
How do you calculate hours worked and pay?
Two numbers. Regular hours times your rate. Overtime hours times your rate times 1.5. Add them together and that is gross pay. At $18/hr for 44 hours, that comes out to $828.
