California has specific and often generous overtime laws designed to protect employees and compensate them fairly for working beyond standard hours. This calculator helps you quickly determine your overtime earnings based on California's legal framework.
Key California Overtime Rules:
Daily Overtime: In California, overtime pay is generally required for any hours worked over 8 hours in a single workday. This is paid at 1.5 times (time-and-a-half) the employee's regular rate of pay.
Double Time: If an employee works more than 12 hours in a single workday, any hours worked beyond the 12th hour must be paid at 2 times (double-time) the regular rate of pay.
Seventh Consecutive Day: Overtime rules also apply to the seventh consecutive day of work. Hours worked over 8 on the seventh consecutive day are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. Hours worked over 12 on the seventh consecutive day are paid at 2 times the regular rate. (Note: This calculator focuses on daily overtime for simplicity but is crucial to remember.)
Weekly Overtime: Overtime is also typically required for any hours worked over 40 hours in a single workweek, paid at 1.5 times the regular rate.
Exemptions: Certain employees, such as executive, administrative, and professional employees meeting specific salary and duty tests, may be exempt from overtime pay. This calculator assumes non-exempt employees.
How the Calculator Works:
This calculator simplifies the calculation based on two primary scenarios for a given workweek:
Standard Overtime (Time-and-a-Half): For hours worked beyond 40 in a week, or beyond 8 in a day if not triggering double time.
Double Time: For hours worked beyond 12 in a day.
The calculation for Time-and-a-Half is: (Hourly Wage) * 1.5 * (Overtime Hours).
The calculation for Double Time is: (Hourly Wage) * 2.0 * (Overtime Hours).
This calculator assumes the 'Overtime Hours Worked' input represents hours that qualify for *either* time-and-a-half or double-time pay, and it prioritizes double-time if the hours worked suggest it might be applicable (though a true daily breakdown is more complex). For a precise calculation, you would need to track hours worked per day. This calculator provides a practical estimate for typical weekly overtime scenarios where the majority of overtime falls under the time-and-a-half threshold.
Why Use This Calculator?
Accuracy: Ensure you're being paid correctly according to California labor laws.
Budgeting: Estimate your potential earnings for working extra hours.
Awareness: Understand your rights as a non-exempt employee in California.
Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with an employment lawyer or the California Labor Commissioner's Office for specific legal guidance. The calculator simplifies daily overtime rules for weekly estimation.
function calculateOvertime() {
var hourlyWage = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hourlyWage").value);
var regularHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById("regularHours").value);
var overtimeHours = parseFloat(document.getElementById("overtimeHours").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
resultDiv.innerHTML = "; // Clear previous results
// Input validation
if (isNaN(hourlyWage) || hourlyWage <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid hourly wage.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(regularHours) || regularHours < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = 'Please enter a valid number for regular hours worked.';
return;
}
if (isNaN(overtimeHours) || overtimeHours 0, we assume it's paid at least at 1.5x.
// If overtimeHours are substantial (e.g., > 4 hours per day on average, or hitting 12+ hours),
// some portion might be double time. This calculator prioritizes time-and-a-half for simplicity
// as a common scenario, but highlights the rates.
var timeAndHalfRate = hourlyWage * 1.5;
var doubleTimeRate = hourlyWage * 2.0;
// For simplicity in this calculator, we'll apply time-and-a-half to all provided overtime hours.
// A more complex calculator would require daily hour inputs to differentiate between 1.5x and 2x pay accurately.
// The article explains the 2x rule for hours over 12.
overtimePay = overtimeHours * timeAndHalfRate;
totalPay = regularPay + overtimePay;
resultDiv.innerHTML = '$' + totalPay.toFixed(2) +
'Regular Pay: $' + regularPay.toFixed(2) + ' | Overtime Pay: $' + overtimePay.toFixed(2) + '';
}