Confirm the coverage, schedule and regular rate first
The calculator does not infer nonexempt status or decide which California wage order, exception or exemption applies. It also does not derive the legal regular rate from salary, minimum wage, bonuses, commissions or another pay input.
Use the branch only after confirming general nonexempt coverage and one ordinary workday. An alternative workweek or other special schedule returns an unsupported result rather than an approximation.
Split one workday into three non-overlapping bands
Each hour belongs to one band only. The calculator does not apply the 1.5 multiplier again to hours already placed in the double-time band.
| Hours in this workday | Multiplier | calculator treatment |
|---|---|---|
| First 8 hours | 1× | Regular hours and regular pay |
| Over 8 through 12 hours | 1.5× | Time-and-a-half hours and pay |
| Over 12 hours | 2× | Double-time hours and pay |
A 10-hour day at $20 per hour produces $220
| Pay component | Calculation | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Regular pay | 8 hours × $20 | $160.00 |
| Time-and-a-half pay | 2 hours × $20 × 1.5 | $60.00 |
| Double-time pay | 0 hours × $20 × 2 | $0.00 |
| Gross day pay | $160.00 + $60.00 + $0.00 | $220.00 |
The regular-rate input is confirmed, not supplied by a headline minimum
Enter the regular hourly rate already established for the workday. The 2026 California minimum wage is not used to infer the reader’s legal regular rate and must not be substituted for it without confirming the applicable rule.
The DLSE guidance explains that regular-rate treatment can depend on remuneration such as salary, piecework, commissions or bonuses. Those branches require separate review; this calculator accepts one confirmed rate and does not resolve them.
One-day arithmetic does not settle every California overtime branch
- No weekly overtime or combination of hours across multiple workdays.
- No seventh-consecutive-day rule.
- No alternative-workweek schedule, exemption, exception or special rule.
- No collective-agreement, occupation, industry or wage-order determination.
- No bonus, commission, piece-rate or multi-rate regular-rate calculation.
- No wage claim, penalty, damages, payroll reconciliation or legal advice.
Use the reviewed DLSE overtime source
The primary source is the California DIR Division of Labor Standards Enforcement Overtime FAQ: https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/faq_overtime.htm. Wage101 reviewed this page on 28 July 2026.
California minimum-wage and wage-order materials provide context but do not expand this article’s scope. If official guidance conflicts with the calculator or article, review both before use.
How the California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator calculation works
grossDayPay = regularPay + timeAndHalfPay + doubleTimePay
- grossDayPay
- Gross pay for this workday
- regularHourlyRate
- Regular hourly rate
- hoursInWorkday
- Hours in this one workday
- coverageConfirmed
- California overtime coverage
- ordinaryWorkdayConfirmed
- Workday scope
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
regularPay = min(hoursInWorkday, 8) × regularHourlyRate
- regularPay
- Regular pay
- regularHourlyRate
- Regular hourly rate
- hoursInWorkday
- Hours in this one workday
- coverageConfirmed
- California overtime coverage
- ordinaryWorkdayConfirmed
- Workday scope
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
timeAndHalfPay = min(max(hoursInWorkday − 8, 0), 4) × regularHourlyRate × 1.5
- timeAndHalfPay
- Time-and-a-half pay
- regularHourlyRate
- Regular hourly rate
- hoursInWorkday
- Hours in this one workday
- coverageConfirmed
- California overtime coverage
- ordinaryWorkdayConfirmed
- Workday scope
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
doubleTimePay = max(hoursInWorkday − 12, 0) × regularHourlyRate × 2
- doubleTimePay
- Double-time pay
- regularHourlyRate
- Regular hourly rate
- hoursInWorkday
- Hours in this one workday
- coverageConfirmed
- California overtime coverage
- ordinaryWorkdayConfirmed
- Workday scope
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
doubleTimeHours = max(hoursInWorkday − 12, 0)
- doubleTimeHours
- Double-time hours
- regularHourlyRate
- Regular hourly rate
- hoursInWorkday
- Hours in this one workday
- coverageConfirmed
- California overtime coverage
- ordinaryWorkdayConfirmed
- Workday scope
The calculator and article use this relationship consistently; the article does not reimplement the calculation.
A confirmed nonexempt worker earns $20 per hour and works a 10-hour workday.
Inputs used in the California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator worked example
| Input | Entered value | What it represents | Source class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular hourly rate | 20 USD/hour | Confirmed regular hourly rate for this one workday. | user assumption |
| Hours in this one workday | 10 hours/workday | Total hours in one ordinary workday, from 0 through 24. | user assumption |
| California overtime coverage | General nonexempt coverage confirmed | Use only after general nonexempt coverage is confirmed. | user record |
| Workday scope | One ordinary workday confirmed | Alternative workweeks and special rules require a separate review. | user record |
Choose the right California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator basis or mode
| Choice | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Not confirmed | Use only after general nonexempt coverage is confirmed. |
| General nonexempt coverage confirmed | Use only after general nonexempt coverage is confirmed. |
| Unsupported or review required | Use only after general nonexempt coverage is confirmed. |
| Choice | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Not confirmed | Alternative workweeks and special rules require a separate review. |
| One ordinary workday confirmed | Alternative workweeks and special rules require a separate review. |
| Unsupported or special-rule review required | Alternative workweeks and special rules require a separate review. |
Worked example: California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator
The calculator normalizes the inputs above, applies Gross pay for this workday, and returns the outputs below. The displayed result is therefore reproducible in the linked calculator.
| Measure | Result | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Gross pay for this workday | 220 USD/workday | Regular, time-and-a-half and double-time pay added without overlap. |
| Regular pay | 160 USD/workday | Up to the first eight workday hours at the regular rate. |
| Time-and-a-half pay | 60 USD/workday | Hours over eight through twelve at 1.5 times the regular rate. |
| Double-time pay | 0 USD/workday | Hours over twelve at twice the regular rate. |
| Double-time hours | 0 hours/workday | One component of the non-overlapping daily hour split. |
Interpret the result and test Hours in this one workday
- Gross pay for this workday: 220 USD/workday. Regular, time-and-a-half and double-time pay added without overlap.
- Regular pay: 160 USD/workday. Up to the first eight workday hours at the regular rate.
- Time-and-a-half pay: 60 USD/workday. Hours over eight through twelve at 1.5 times the regular rate.
- Double-time pay: 0 USD/workday. Hours over twelve at twice the regular rate.
- Double-time hours: 0 hours/workday. One component of the non-overlapping daily hour split.
| Result | Baseline | Changed-input scenario | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay for this workday | 220 USD/workday | 250 USD/workday | Regular, time-and-a-half and double-time pay added without overlap. |
| Regular pay | 160 USD/workday | 160 USD/workday | Up to the first eight workday hours at the regular rate. |
| Time-and-a-half pay | 60 USD/workday | 90 USD/workday | Hours over eight through twelve at 1.5 times the regular rate. |
| Double-time pay | 0 USD/workday | 0 USD/workday | Hours over twelve at twice the regular rate. |
| Double-time hours | 0 hours/workday | 0 hours/workday | One component of the non-overlapping daily hour split. |
Checks that are specific to California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator
- The worked example uses the same shared-work-logic engine as the interactive planner.
- Unsupported eligibility, policy branches and out-of-range assumptions fail closed.
- Result cards, trace, CSV, PDF and methodology bind to named engine result fields.
What this California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator guide includes and excludes
- General California nonexempt coverage and an ordinary workday have been confirmed.
- The entered regular hourly rate is the correct legal regular rate for this workday.
Sources and method boundary
- www.dir.ca.gov guidance used for the reviewed local boundary — www.dir.ca.gov (accessed 2026-07-28): Live-confirmed 2026-07-28 against the California DLSE overtime FAQ used by the bounded daily-overtime calculator; wage-order exceptions and exemptions remain excluded.
- California Daily Overtime Pay Calculator methodology — Wage101 (accessed 2026-07-28): Canonical formulas, units, validation, calculator behavior and limitations.