California Overtime Calculator: Daily, Double-Time & Take-Home Pay

California provides the most protective overtime statutes in the United States under California Labor Code § 510, reinforced by the 17 industry wage orders adopted by the California Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC) and enforced by the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE).

1. The 1.5× Regular Rate Tier

Under Labor Code § 510(a), an employer must pay an employee one and one-half times (1.5×) their regular rate of pay for:

• Hours worked over 8 up to 12 in a single workday;
• Hours worked over 40 in a single workweek; and
• The first 8 hours worked on the 7th consecutive day of work in an employer's designated workweek.

2. The 2.0× Double-Time Tier (California Exclusive)

California is the only state in the country with a statutory double-time rule. Under Labor Code § 510(a), an employer must pay two times (2.0×) the employee's regular rate of pay for:

• Hours worked over 12 in a single workday; and
• Hours worked over 8 on the 7th consecutive day of work in a workweek.

3. Strict Anti-Pyramiding Rule

California law strictly prohibits pyramiding of premium rates. An hour that has already been compensated at a daily overtime rate (1.5×) or daily double-time rate (2.0×) does not count toward the 40-hour weekly threshold. Only the first 8 regular hours of each workday accumulate toward the weekly 40-hour baseline.

4. Independent Daily Rules: Overtime Even Under 40 Weekly Hours

Unlike the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which only triggers overtime when total hours in a workweek exceed 40, California's daily rules are completely independent. An employee who works a single 14-hour shift in a workweek is legally owed 8 regular hours, 4 hours at 1.5×, and 2 hours at 2.0× double time—even though their total hours for the entire week equal just 14 hours.

5. Salaried Non-Exempt Workers: Weekly Salary ÷ 40

Under DIR IWC Article 17 § 4(C), the regular hourly rate of pay for a salaried non-exempt employee is determined strictly by dividing their weekly salary by 40 hours:

California law explicitly rejects the federal fluctuating workweek method. An employer cannot divide a non-exempt employee's salary by actual hours worked (e.g. 50 or 60 hours) to reduce their regular hourly rate as hours increase.

6. Alternative Workweek Schedules (AWS)

Under California Labor Code § 511, employers and employees may establish an Alternative Workweek Schedule (such as a 4-day, 10-hour schedule) without daily overtime after 8 hours. However, an AWS can only be enacted with a two-thirds (2/3) secret-ballot vote of affected employees in an identifiable work unit and formal registration with the state Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. The 40-hour weekly overtime threshold continues to apply in all cases. (AWS schedules are out of scope for this v1 calculator and are noted here for legal completeness.)