How US timesheet hours and overtime are calculated
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered non-exempt employees must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time-and-a-half.
Bona fide meal periods (typically 30 minutes or more) are not considered work time and are deducted from gross logged hours.
Worked example
For an employee working 40 standard hours plus 5 overtime hours at 1.5x, taking 150 minutes of unpaid meal breaks, at a base wage of $20 per hour:
Unpaid breaks equal 2.5 hours, leaving 37.5 net regular hours ($750.00) plus 5 overtime hours at $30.00/hr ($150.00), yielding $900.00 gross weekly earnings.
Inputs for the US work hours calculator
Regular weekly hours
Standard working hours up to the 40-hour FLSA threshold.
Overtime hours worked
Hours worked beyond 40 hours during the weekly pay period.
Weekly unpaid breaks
Total unpaid meal break minutes taken during the workweek.
Base hourly pay rate
Your regular hourly wage before overtime premiums.
Overtime pay rate multiplier
The multiplier applied to overtime hours (typically 1.5x under FLSA rules).
CALCULATOR QUESTIONS
Work hours calculator US questions
What is the federal overtime rate in the United States?
The federal FLSA standard requires overtime pay of at least 1.5 times the regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek.
Are short rest breaks deducted from pay in the US?
Under federal regulations, short rest breaks lasting 5 to 20 minutes must be counted as compensable working hours and cannot be deducted.