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Reviewed by CalculatorApp.me HR & Payroll Team
FLSA overtime rules, shift differentials, break deductions, and payroll math — all explained.
40 hrs/wk
FLSA standard workweek (USA)
1.5×
Overtime rate (hours > 40/wk)
$7.25/hr
Federal minimum wage
2,080 hrs
Full-time work hours per year
Calculate work hours, breaks, overtime, and pay. Track timesheets and visualize your weekly work patterns with our comprehensive hours calculator.
Enter values above to see results.
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An hours calculator computes the total duration between a start time and end time — with optional lunch/break deductions, overnight shifts, and overtime separation. It eliminates manual time-card math errors that cost businesses thousands of dollars annually in wage disputes.
Beyond simple time spans, a full-featured hours calculator applies FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) rules to flag overtime, compute gross pay at regular and overtime rates, and produce payroll-ready summaries for any number of workdays.
Key use cases include: employee timesheet processing, freelance hourly invoicing, shift planning, overtime liability estimation, travel/flight duration tracking, and study or project time accounting.
hours = end_time − start_time − breaks Decimal conversion: 6h 45m = 6 + (45 ÷ 60) = 6.75 hours Overnight shift: if end < start: add 24 hours to end_time
Always convert minutes to decimal before multiplying by hourly rate.
regular_hours = min(total_hours, 40)
ovt_hours = max(0, total_hours − 40)
gross_pay = (regular_hours × rate)
+ (ovt_hours × rate × 1.5)FLSA requires 1.5× for hours beyond 40 in a workweek — not per-day unless state law specifies.
daily_ovt = max(0, daily_hours − 8) double_time = max(0, daily_hours − 12) California also requires OT on the 7th consecutive day of work: OT ≥ 1hr, double-time > 8 hrs on day 7
California, Nevada, and Alaska have daily OT rules in addition to federal weekly OT.
| Classification | Overtime Eligible? | Min. Salary (2025) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-exempt (Hourly) | Yes — 1.5× over 40 hrs | N/A | Retail, restaurant, warehouse workers |
| Exempt — Executive | No | $844/week | Managers with hiring/firing authority |
| Exempt — Administrative | No | $844/week | Office workers with discretionary authority |
| Exempt — Professional | No | $844/week | Lawyers, CPAs, engineers, doctors |
| Exempt — Computer | No | $844/wk or $27.63/hr | Software engineer, systems analyst |
| Independent Contractor |
Welsh social reformer Robert Owen coined the slogan '8 hours labour, 8 hours recreation, 8 hours rest' — the first major advocacy for the modern workday.
The first US national labor federation formally demanded an 8-hour workday and 40-hour workweek from Congress.
Henry Ford voluntarily reduced his factories to 5 days / 40 hours per week — finding productivity equal or higher vs. the previous 6-day schedule.
The FLSA established the 40-hour workweek, federal minimum wage, and overtime pay (1.5×) as legal requirements for covered non-exempt workers.
Mainframe-based payroll processing replaced manual timecard calculation, dramatically reducing errors in large-scale hourly payroll.
US Dept. of Labor — WHD
Full text of overtime requirements, exemption criteria, and tip credits under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Stanford University
John Pencavel (2014): Productivity per hour declines sharply when working beyond 49 hours/week; output at 70 hrs equals 55 hrs.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
2024 BLS data: Average US hourly wage across all sectors ≈$35.40. Median weekly hours for full-time workers: 40.7.
ILO
ILO research links excess working hours (>55 hrs/wk) to 35% higher stroke risk and 17% higher heart disease risk.
Overtime is required for working more than 8 hours per day.
Under federal FLSA, overtime triggers at 40 hours per workweek — not per day. Only some states (CA, NV, AK) mandate daily overtime at 8+ hrs.
Salaried employees never qualify for overtime.
Salaried workers below the DOL salary threshold ($844/week as of July 2024) are non-exempt and must be paid overtime regardless of salary structure.
Lunch breaks must be removed from hours automatically.
Only unpaid breaks can be deducted. Paid breaks and 'on-duty' meal periods (where the employee can't leave) must count as work time.
Rounding time to the nearest 15 minutes always benefits the employer.
Payroll, taxes, overtime, budgeting — every financial tool in one place.
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annual_hours = weekly_hours × 52 FTE equivalent: FTE = annual_hours ÷ 2080 Example: 30 hrs/wk × 52 = 1,560 hr/yr FTE = 1560 ÷ 2080 = 0.75 FTE
2,080 = 40 hours × 52 weeks; used in benefits eligibility and budgeting.
| No (not covered by FLSA) |
| N/A |
| Freelancers, gig economy workers |
Salary thresholds updated per DOL Final Rule effective July 1, 2024. Always verify current thresholds at dol.gov.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital time-tracking adoption as remote workers used apps, online calculators, and automated systems to log hours.
FLSA permits rounding only if it's neutral on average. Consistent rounding that deprives workers of compensation is an FLSA violation.