Holiday Pay Calculator
Enter your hourly wage, holiday hours, and weekly worked hours to estimate your total holiday paycheck — including how the FLSA's 40-hour overtime rule interacts with holiday time.
Your Holiday Week
Enter your hours and wage, then click Calculate to see your holiday paycheck.
How Holiday Pay Works
Federal law (FLSA) does not require holiday pay. Premium holiday rates — 1.5× or 2.0× — exist because of company policy, employee handbooks, or collective bargaining agreements. If your employer promises it in writing, they must honor it.
The standard formula:
- Holiday pay = hours worked on the holiday × hourly wage × multiplier
- Regular pay = other worked hours up to 40 × hourly wage
- Overtime pay = hours over 40 × 1.5× hourly wage
Example: A retail worker earns $22/hr, works 8 hours on Thanksgiving at 1.5×, plus 40 regular hours. Holiday pay = $264. Regular pay = $880. Total = $1,144.
Holiday Hours vs the 40-Hour Rule
Under the FLSA, only hours you actually work count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold. A paid holiday you took off does not push you into overtime.
Example: You take Monday (8 hrs holiday pay) off, then work 36 hrs Tue–Fri. Total = 44 paid hours, but only 36 worked. No overtime under the FLSA.
Union or public-sector exception: Many collective bargaining agreements and some government employers include holiday hours in the OT calculation. Check your contract.
Stacking: If you work both the holiday AND more than 40 hours of regular time, you get holiday premium pay plus overtime on hours over 40.
2026 Federal Holidays
- • New Year's Day — Thursday, January 1
- • MLK Day — Monday, January 19
- • Presidents' Day — Monday, February 16
- • Memorial Day — Monday, May 25
- • Juneteenth — Friday, June 19
- • Independence Day — Saturday, July 4 (observed Friday, July 3)
- • Labor Day — Monday, September 7
- • Columbus Day — Monday, October 12
- • Veterans Day — Wednesday, November 11
- • Thanksgiving — Thursday, November 26
- • Christmas Day — Friday, December 25
Holiday Pay FAQ
Is holiday pay required by federal law in the U.S.?
No. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employers to pay extra for work performed on holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New Year's Day. Premium holiday pay (time-and-a-half or double time) is a company policy, union contract, or — in a few states — a state-specific rule.
Do holiday hours count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold?
Under the FLSA, only hours actually worked count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold. Paid holiday time you did not work does not count. However, many union contracts and some state public-sector rules require holiday hours to count, which can push your weekly hours past 40 and trigger overtime.
Which states require premium holiday pay?
Only Rhode Island and Massachusetts have historically required premium pay for certain retail and non-manufacturing work on specific holidays — and Massachusetts phased out its premium-pay requirement at the end of 2022. In every other state, premium holiday pay is entirely up to the employer.
What is the typical holiday pay rate?
The most common rates are 1.5× (time and a half) and 2.0× (double time) the regular hourly wage. Some employers pay regular wages plus a separate holiday bonus, or give a paid day off instead.
Do salaried employees get extra holiday pay?
Exempt salaried employees typically receive their normal salary regardless of holidays worked, with no extra premium. Non-exempt salaried employees follow the same FLSA overtime rules as hourly workers when they exceed 40 hours of actual work.
Related Tools & Guides
Calculate Overtime by State
Select your state for accurate 2026 overtime calculations