What is time and a half pay?
Time and a half is the overtime rate most hourly workers are paid: 1.5 × your regular hourly rate for every hour worked beyond the overtime threshold. It is the standard under the US Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for hours over 40 in a workweek, and it is also common in Canada, Australia and many other countries.
If your normal rate is $20 per hour, your time and a half rate is $30 per hour. Work 45 hours that week and the extra 5 hours are paid at $30 instead of $20 — an extra $50 in your pocket compared with straight time.
How do you calculate time and a half? (Formula)
Two lines of math are all you need:
- Overtime rate = regular hourly rate × 1.5
- Overtime pay = overtime rate × overtime hours worked
- Gross pay = (regular rate × regular hours) + overtime pay
Example — $25/hour, 40 regular hours and 8h 30m (8.5) overtime hours:
- Time and a half rate: $25 × 1.5 = $37.50/hour
- Overtime pay: 8h 30m × $37.50 = $318.75
- Regular pay: 40 × $25 = $1,000.00
- Total gross: $1,318.75
Time and a Half Quick Reference Chart (Common Hourly Wages)
Use this cheat sheet to find your time-and-a-half rate instantly — it covers the hourly wages people ask about most, plus what an 8-hour overtime shift is worth.
| Regular Hourly Rate | Time and a Half Rate (1.5×) | 8-Hour Overtime Pay | Typical Job |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00/hr | $22.50/hr | $180.00 | Retail / Fast Food |
| $16.00/hr | $24.00/hr | $192.00 | Warehouse Staff |
| $16.50/hr | $24.75/hr | $198.00 | Caregiver |
| $17.00/hr | $25.50/hr | $204.00 | Delivery / Driver |
| $18.00/hr | $27.00/hr | $216.00 | Barista / Server |
| $18.50/hr | $27.75/hr | $222.00 | CNA / Medical Assistant |
| $19.00/hr | $28.50/hr | $228.00 | Hospitality Staff |
| $20.00/hr | $30.00/hr | $240.00 | Construction / Trade |
| $25.00/hr | $37.50/hr | $300.00 | LPN / Freelance |
| $30.00/hr | $45.00/hr | $360.00 | Registered Nurse (RN) |
8-hour overtime pay = time and a half rate × 8 hours, before tax.
Want the full walkthrough, formulas and state overtime rules? Read How to Calculate Time and a Half Overtime Pay.
When does overtime start?
In the United States, the federal rule is over 40 hours in a workweek. But many places add daily rules on top of that:
- Weekly threshold: hours over 40 in the week → 1.5×
- Daily threshold (e.g. California): hours over 8 in a single day → 1.5×, hours over 12 in a day → 2× (double time)
- Seventh consecutive day: some states pay 1.5× for the first 8 hours and 2× beyond
- Contract or union rules: may be more generous than the legal minimum — always check yours
Time and a half vs double time
Time and a half = 1.5× your rate. Double time = 2× your rate, often triggered on holidays, a seventh consecutive workday, or after 12 hours in a day in states like California. Our calculator supports both — switch the multiplier between 1.5× and 2× to compare. Some contracts also use 1.25× as a lower overtime tier.
How do you figure time and a half on a night shift?
Overtime is based on the number of hours worked, not the time on the clock, so a shift that crosses midnight simply continues to accumulate hours toward your threshold. The real problem is tooling: many time-tracking apps break the shift at 00:00 and lose hours or apply the wrong rate. Hours Tracker treats an overnight shift as one entry and applies your overtime multiplier automatically.
Let the app do the 1.5× math automatically
Doing this once is fine. Doing it every week for every shift — with breaks, night shifts and tax — is where mistakes happen and money gets lost. Hours Tracker calculates time and a half, double time, break deductions and take-home pay as you clock in and out, then exports a payroll-ready PDF or CSV timesheet.
Related reading: how overtime pay is calculated, tracking overnight shifts across midnight, and exporting clean PDF timesheets.