Map the rule and period before the arithmetic
| Question | Official boundary to confirm | Wage101 treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Federal FLSA workweek overtime | Covered nonexempt status, hours over 40 in a fixed workweek and the regular rate | No federal eligibility or statutory overtime calculator |
| California general overtime | Daily, workweek and seventh-day rules plus exemptions and exceptions | Official context exceeds the current calculator scope |
| California ordinary-workday arithmetic | One confirmed ordinary nonexempt workday and confirmed regular hourly rate | Current calculator splits that one day into regular, time-and-a-half and double-time bands |
The federal test is workweek-based
Department of Labor Fact Sheet #23 describes the general FLSA rule for covered, nonexempt employees as overtime after 40 hours in a fixed and regularly recurring workweek. It also warns that the regular rate can include more than a headline hourly amount.
Wage101 does not decide federal coverage or exemption status and does not publish a federal statutory overtime calculator. The Global using-your-rule calculator can model a user-confirmed rate and multiplier, but it does not turn those inputs into a legal determination.
California adds branches that the one-day calculator does not cover
The California DIR general guidance includes overtime after eight hours in a workday, after 40 hours in a workweek and on a seventh consecutive workday, with double-time branches and multiple exemptions or exceptions. Those branches must not be collapsed into a single daily threshold.
The existing calculator intentionally excludes weekly aggregation, seventh-day treatment, alternative workweeks, exemptions, wage-order decisions and special regular-rate calculations. Its one-day result is useful only after those exclusions are confirmed.
Complete the boundary check before choosing a calculator
Facts the arithmetic cannot establish
- Confirm the worker and employment are covered and nonexempt under each potentially applicable rule.
- Identify the employer’s fixed workweek and the California workday boundary.
- Reconstruct hours actually worked by workday and workweek from the relevant records.
- Confirm the legal regular rate, including any remuneration that must be included.
- Check alternative-workweek, occupation, wage-order and other exception branches.
- Use the California calculator only if the ordinary one-workday branch fits exactly.
- Use official or qualified support for overlap, crediting, claim and correction questions.
Federal and California overtime questions
- Does the federal FLSA generally require overtime after eight hours in one day?
- Fact Sheet #23 describes the general federal overtime test as hours over 40 in a workweek for covered nonexempt employees. A state rule, contract or other rule may impose a different daily requirement.
- Is California overtime only a daily rule?
- No. The California DIR general guidance also describes workweek and seventh-day branches, together with exemptions and exceptions.
- Does the Wage101 California result calculate every overtime amount for the week?
- No. It calculates one confirmed ordinary workday only. Weekly, seventh-day, alternative-workweek and special branches are excluded.
Official overtime sources
- Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA — United States Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (accessed 2026-08-01): General federal workweek and regular-rate context; coverage and exemption remain fact-specific.
- California DIR overtime FAQ — California Department of Industrial Relations (accessed 2026-08-01): General California daily, weekly and seventh-day context; exceptions and wage-order questions remain outside Wage101.