Washington Overtime Pay Calculator

Washington follows a 40-hour workweek standard for overtime under the Washington Minimum Wage Act (RCW 49.46.130) with no daily overtime requirement — working a single 12-hour shift doesn't trigger overtime by itself, only total weekly hours above 40 do. What makes Washington distinctive is not the trigger but the enforcement and the wage floor: the state minimum wage of $17.13/hour in 2026 is among the highest in the country, and several cities layer even higher local minimums on top, including Seattle and SeaTac, both around $21/hour depending on employer size and benefits offered.

Overtime must be calculated using whichever minimum wage — state or local — actually applies to the work performed, and for workers who split time between a Seattle location and elsewhere, the higher local rate applies to hours physically worked within city limits. Washington's L&I (Department of Labor & Industries) actively audits employers and has pursued major back-pay settlements in warehousing, agriculture, and healthcare, making the state one of the most aggressively enforced in the country.

Washington sets its own salary threshold for white-collar exemptions that is dramatically higher than the federal $684/week standard: the state formula ties the exempt salary minimum to a multiple of the state minimum wage (roughly 1.75x for larger employers, phasing up over time), pushing the 2026 threshold well above $1,600/week for many employers — meaning a salaried worker earning $70,000/year in Washington could still be legally entitled to overtime if their salary falls short of the state's own threshold, even though that same salary would clear the federal bar.

This gap is one of the most common — and expensive — traps for employers operating in multiple states: applying the federal threshold to Washington employees is a straightforward violation. Small employers (fewer than 51 employees) currently face a somewhat lower threshold than large employers, but both are meaningfully above the federal floor, and both continue to rise each year.

The Washington Department of Labor & Industries accepts wage complaints, including unpaid overtime, and can investigate, order payment, and assess civil penalties. Workers have three years to file a wage claim under Washington law — longer than the federal FLSA's two-year default — and Washington allows recovery of double the unpaid wages as exemplary damages when the employer's failure to pay was willful, which is interpreted broadly by Washington courts in the worker's favor.

Combined, Washington's higher minimum wage, higher exempt salary threshold, three-year limitations period, and double-damages exposure make it one of the most worker-protective states in the country, well beyond the federal baseline. Workers in agriculture should also note that Washington, unlike many states, extended overtime protections to agricultural workers through legislation and litigation in recent years, closing a gap that still exists under federal law.