Time and a Half: How to Work Out the Rate in Seconds (2026)

The Rate in One Line

Time and a half is your hourly rate plus half of that rate again.

At $20 an hour: $20 + $10 = $30. At $18.50: $18.50 + $9.25 = $27.75. Halve your wage, add it back — that is the whole trick, and it works at any rate without a calculator.

| Hourly rate | Time and a half | 8 OT hours |

| --- | --- | --- |

| $15.00 | $22.50 | $180.00 |

| $18.00 | $27.00 | $216.00 |

| $22.00 | $33.00 | $264.00 |

| $28.00 | $42.00 | $336.00 |

| $35.00 | $52.50 | $420.00 |

When It Applies

Under federal law, non-exempt employees earn time and a half for hours past 40 in a workweek. Some states add a daily trigger, usually past 8 or 12 hours, and California adds double time on top of that.

Time and a half is not owed just because a day was long, a shift fell on a weekend, or a holiday was worked — unless a state rule, a union contract or company policy says so. What matters federally is the weekly total.

Halve the Right Number

The multiplier applies to your regular rate, not necessarily the wage printed on your offer letter. Shift differentials, non-discretionary bonuses and piece-rate earnings raise it.

A $20 wage plus a $2 night differential means time and a half is $33, not $30. Over 8 overtime hours that is $24 that quietly disappears when payroll multiplies the base wage instead.

Run your own numbers in the time and a half calculator, or see sixteen wage levels side by side in the overtime pay chart.

The Whole Week, Not Just the Premium

Time and a half applies only to the overtime hours. A 46-hour week at $20 is 40 x $20 plus 6 x $30 = $980 — not 46 x $30.

After Tax It Is Smaller

Overtime is taxed as ordinary wages, but extra earnings can push part of a check into a higher bracket for that period. Time and a half on paper is not time and a half in your account; the overtime tax calculator shows the difference.