California Overtime Calculator: Daily OT, Double Time & 7th Day Pay

For many covered non-exempt employees, California checks both the day and the workweek. The first 8 hours in a day are generally regular, hours over 8 through 12 are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate, and hours over 12 are paid at 2 times. A weekly threshold also applies after 40 hours, but the weekly calculation should use only regular hours that daily overtime and double time did not already cover. The seventh consecutive day has its own tiers when the employee works all seven days in one workweek. This calculator classifies the seven daily inputs first, moves any remaining regular hours above 40 into weekly OT, and shows the result by day. Wage orders, exemptions, alternative schedules, public-sector rules, and collective agreements can change the answer, so treat the number as a documented estimate rather than a legal conclusion.

It can be both. Daily overtime looks at the number of hours worked in one workday, while weekly overtime looks at actual hours worked in the employer's fixed seven-day workweek. A worker can trigger daily overtime without reaching 40 hours, such as five 9-hour shifts. Another worker can reach 45 hours through six 7.5-hour shifts and trigger weekly overtime without any daily premium. The same hour should not be paid twice simply because it appears in both a daily and weekly total. The correct order is to classify daily OT and double-time hours, then test the regular hours left over against 40. The workweek start, alternative schedule, wage order, and employee classification matter. Use the day-by-day map and retain the timecard so payroll can explain which bucket each hour entered.

Under the common California rule for covered non-exempt work, double time generally starts after 12 hours in one workday. The first 8 hours are regular, hours 8 through 12 are time and a half, and hours over 12 are 2 times the regular rate. A separate seventh-day rule can make hours over 8 on the seventh consecutive day double time when the employee worked all seven days in that workweek. Double time is a single 2.0x tier, not an additional payment stacked on top of a 1.5x tier. A 14-hour day at a $25 regular rate is $200 regular, $150 overtime, and $100 double time. Alternative workweek schedules, industry wage orders, exemptions, and contracts can change the trigger, so compare the calculator with current DIR guidance and the written rule governing the job.

When a covered non-exempt employee works all seven days in one employer-defined workweek, California may require premium pay on the seventh consecutive day. The common rule pays the first 8 hours on day 7 at 1.5 times the regular rate and hours over 8 at 2 times. The rule depends on consecutive workdays inside the same workweek, not simply on working a Saturday or Sunday. This calculator's Auto setting turns it on only when all seven daily hour fields are greater than zero. On lets a user model a confirmed arrangement, while Off leaves ordinary daily tiers in place. Verify the workweek start, actual sequence, adopted alternative schedule, wage order, and any CBA. The seventh-day tiers replace ordinary regular classification for that day so the same hours are not counted twice.

Both thresholds can matter. For many non-exempt employees, daily overtime begins after 8 hours in a workday, and weekly overtime begins after 40 actual hours in the workweek. The trigger that applies depends on how the hours are distributed. Five 9-hour days create 5 daily overtime hours, while six 7.5-hour days create 5 weekly overtime hours. Those schedules have the same 45-hour total but a different audit explanation. California also has double time after 12 hours in a day and special seventh-day tiers. The weekly rule should not add a second premium to hours already classified as daily OT or double time. A valid alternative workweek schedule or industry wage order may change the daily threshold, so the calculator is a common-rule estimate that must be checked against current California requirements.

The same worked hour generally should not receive two separate statutory overtime classifications. Daily overtime and double-time hours are identified first. If total hours exceed 40, weekly overtime is added only for regular hours that remain above the weekly threshold after those daily premium hours are removed. For example, five 9-hour days produce 45 hours and 5 daily OT hours, so the weekly adjustment is zero. Six 7.5-hour days also produce 45 hours, but no day crosses 8, so 5 regular hours move into weekly OT. The total pay may match at a simple rate, but the underlying reason differs. This no-double-counting approach is an estimate model; a wage order, alternative schedule, CBA, or payroll allocation can change the result. Save the daily breakdown instead of adding every trigger independently.

A salaried employee can still be non-exempt and entitled to overtime. Salary describes how the employee is paid; it does not automatically satisfy the salary basis, salary level, and duties requirements for an exemption. California exemptions can be stricter than the federal baseline, and actual duties matter more than a title such as manager or analyst. This calculator is for a common non-exempt hourly-rate scenario and does not classify a salaried role. If a salary covers a fixed schedule, payroll may need to convert it to a regular rate before applying California daily and weekly rules. Preserve the offer letter, pay stubs, job description, daily hours, and any exemption notice. Review the dedicated salaried guide and current California DIR material before treating a calculation as proof that overtime is owed or not owed.

A nondiscretionary bonus can affect the regular rate used for overtime when it rewards production, attendance, retention, safety, or another promised result. A shift differential may also raise the rate for the hours it covers. The exact allocation depends on what period the payment rewards and which compensation is legally included or excluded. The Advanced Options area can model a bonus and differential through an adjusted regular rate, but it is intentionally simplified. Keep the bonus plan, earning dates, pay stubs, and payroll explanation because a monthly or quarterly payment may need allocation back to earlier workweeks. A discretionary gift or expense reimbursement can be treated differently. Compare the estimate with California DIR guidance and ask payroll to explain whether the payment was included, allocated, or excluded.

Under the common daily rule, four 10-hour days can create 8 daily overtime hours: 2 extra hours on each day at 1.5 times the regular rate. The weekly total is 40, so there may be no separate weekly adjustment. A properly adopted alternative workweek schedule can change when daily overtime begins, however, especially for a regular four-day schedule. Do not assume that a manager's informal approval creates an alternative schedule. Check the written schedule, employee notice, applicable wage order, and any collective agreement. The calculator's Alternative Workweek warning leaves the common calculation visible but tells you that it may not apply. Use the actual daily timecard and current California DIR source before challenging a pay stub or relying on the result for payroll.

A weekend label alone does not create California overtime. Weekend hours can become premium hours if they push a day above 8 or 12, push uncovered regular hours above 40, or fall on the seventh consecutive day of the employer's workweek. An employer policy or union agreement may also promise a weekend premium. The key facts are the fixed workweek start, the sequence of days worked, daily hours, and the employee's classification. A Saturday after six earlier days may be day 7 for one workweek but not another if the workweek starts on a different day. Enter hours in the correct order, choose the workweek start, and review the day-by-day map. Verify any weekend premium line against the written policy rather than assuming California law treats every Saturday or Sunday the same way.

Meal and rest break premiums are not the same thing as daily overtime or double time. A pay stub may show a MEAL PREM or REST PREM line when a required break was not provided, while OT and DT lines describe premium pay for hours worked under overtime rules. The amounts can interact with a regular-rate analysis in some circumstances, but the hours should not be added to the worked-hour total automatically. Keep the timecard, break records, and pay-stub code legend together. This calculator focuses on hours worked and the common daily, weekly, and seventh-day tiers; it does not calculate break premiums. Ask payroll or the California Labor Commissioner's Office how the separate premium was determined, especially if the employer combines several premium lines or labels them with a generic adjustment code.

Start with a factual record rather than one weekly total. Save the timecard, schedule, workweek dates, after-hours messages, pay stubs, bonus plan, differential policy, and any written alternative schedule. Rebuild each day, mark hours over 8 and 12, check whether all seven days were worked, and then compare the remaining regular hours with the 40-hour threshold. Ask payroll in writing which wage order, workweek, regular rate, and seventh-day rule were used. Keep the response. If the issue remains, the California Labor Commissioner's Office or another current agency source can explain complaint paths; qualified counsel or a union representative can review deadlines and agreements. Do not treat this calculator as a legal finding, and do not remove confidential material you are not allowed to possess.