Calculators → Overtime pay
Overtime pay calculator
Time and a half, double time, or whatever odd multiplier your contract specifies. See what the extra hours pay, and what they add up to over a year.
Your result
| Element | Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal hours | — | — | — |
| Overtime | — | — | — |
| Total | — | — | — |
If some of those extra hours are unpaid rather than paid at a premium, the true hourly wage calculator shows what they cost you.
How overtime pay is worked out
An overtime multiplier is applied to your normal hourly rate, not to your total pay. Time and a half on £14 an hour gives an overtime rate of £21; six hours at that rate is £126 on top of your normal week.
The effective rate is the more revealing figure. Divide total pay by total hours and you get what the whole week averaged out at. Paid overtime at a premium always pulls this above your base rate, and the more overtime you work, the closer the average creeps towards the overtime rate itself.
The annual projection simply multiplies one week's overtime pay by the number of weeks you expect to do it. Occasional overtime adds up faster than people assume — six hours at time and a half, twenty weeks a year, is over £2,500 before tax.
What you are actually entitled to
There is no general right to premium overtime pay in the UK. Whether you get time and a half, double time, or nothing extra at all is a matter of contract. The only hard floor is the National Minimum Wage: your total pay divided by your total hours must not fall below it, which is what stops unpaid extra hours being used to dilute a minimum-wage rate.
The Working Time Regulations cap the average week at 48 hours over a 17-week reference period, though an individual can opt out of that in writing. Rest breaks and daily rest periods still apply regardless.
The US position is different and stronger: under the Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid at least time and a half for hours beyond 40 in a week, and that cannot be contracted away. If you are working in the US on a 40-hour baseline, set the multiplier to 1.5 as your legal minimum rather than a negotiated perk.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate time and a half?
Multiply your normal hourly rate by 1.5, then multiply that by the overtime hours worked. On £14 an hour, time and a half is £21 an hour, so six hours of overtime pays £126. Double time is the same method with a multiplier of 2.
Is my employer legally required to pay extra for overtime?
In the UK there is no automatic right to a premium rate. Overtime pay depends on your contract, and an employer may lawfully pay your normal rate for extra hours, provided your average pay does not fall below the National Minimum Wage. In the US, by contrast, non-exempt employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act must receive at least time and a half beyond 40 hours in a week.
Why does overtime lower my effective hourly rate?
It does not — paid overtime at a premium raises it. The effective rate shown here is total pay divided by total hours, so any multiplier above 1 pulls the average up. What does lower it is unpaid overtime, where the hours increase and the pay does not. If you work extra hours for nothing, the true hourly wage calculator shows the damage.
Does overtime get taxed at a higher rate?
Overtime is taxed the same as any other pay, but because it increases your total income it can push part of your earnings into a higher tax band, which makes it feel more heavily taxed. Only the portion above the threshold is affected. All figures on this page are gross, before any deductions.