California Overtime Calculator — daily OT & double time
California pays overtime by the day, not just the week. Enter the hours you worked in a single day and your rate to see regular, overtime (1.5×), and double-time (2×) pay split out automatically.
How California overtime works
California’s daily overtime rules are the most generous in the country. In a single workday, a non-exempt employee earns:
- Regular pay for the first 8 hours.
- Time and a half (1.5×) for hours 8 through 12.
- Double time (2×) for any hours beyond 12.
There’s also a seventh-consecutive-day rule: if you work all seven days in a workweek, the first 8 hours on that seventh day are paid at 1.5×, and anything beyond 8 hours is double time. On top of the daily rules, the usual weekly standard still applies — 1.5× after 40 hours — and you always receive whichever calculation pays you the most.
A real example
You earn $25/hour and work a 13-hour shift. The first 8 hours pay $200. Hours 9–12 (four hours) pay $37.50 each, or $150. The 13th hour is double time at $50. Your day totals $400 — versus just $325 if California only counted weekly hours. The calculator above shows this split for any day you enter.
Who is covered
These rules protect non-exempt employees. To be exempt in California, a salaried worker must generally earn at least twice the state minimum wage — about $1,352 per week ($70,304/year) in 2026 — and meet a duties test, a far higher bar than the federal $684/week floor. That means many salaried Californians are still owed overtime. See the full picture on overtime laws by state.
California overtime FAQ
When does double time start in California?
Does California have weekly overtime too?
Can my employer average two days to avoid daily overtime?
General education for California workers, not legal advice. The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and the Labor Commissioner’s Office have the authoritative rules and can help with disputes.