Weekly Gross Pay Calculation Including FLSA Overtime
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The Core Weekly Gross Formula
Under federal FLSA, overtime is 1.5× your regular rate for any hours over 40 in a single workweek.
Formula: Weekly Gross = (Regular Hours × Rate) + (OT Hours × Rate × 1.5)
A workweek under FLSA is any fixed, recurring 168-hour period (seven 24-hour days). It doesn’t have to line up with the calendar week, and it doesn’t reset if your payday shifts. Once your employer fixes a workweek, that’s the overtime window — 40 hours inside it triggers OT.
Step-by-Step: Calculating Weekly Gross With Overtime
Let’s say you earn $20/hour and worked 46 hours this week.
- Split the hours. 40 regular + 6 overtime.
- Calculate regular pay. 40 × $20 = $800.
- Find the overtime rate. $20 × 1.5 = $30/hr.
- Calculate overtime pay. 6 × $30 = $180.
- Add them. $800 + $180 = $980 weekly gross.
That’s it. The $20 is your “regular rate” — and under FLSA, the regular rate has to include most bonuses and shift differentials too, not just your base hourly pay. That’s a common employer shortcut that shortchanges workers. If you get a $40 nondiscretionary bonus that week, your regular rate effectively rises, and the 1.5 multiplier applies to the higher number.
The weekly-pay-calculator runs this in one step, and if you want to isolate just the overtime piece, the overtime-pay-calculator breaks it out separately.
2026 Real Case: Warehouse Worker in Indiana
James works a warehouse job in Indianapolis at $18.50/hr. During a busy week in May 2026 he clocked 48.5 hours.
- Regular pay: 40 × $18.50 = $740
- Overtime rate: $18.50 × 1.5 = $27.75/hr
- Overtime pay: 8.5 × $27.75 = $235.88
- Weekly gross: $740 + $235.88 = $975.88
For context, his straight-time pay for 48.5 hours would have been 48.5 × $18.50 = $897.25. Overtime added about $78.63 he wouldn’t have otherwise seen. Not life-changing for one week, but over a year of similar weeks that’s north of $4,000 extra. He told me he didn’t even realize OT was being calculated correctly until he checked the math himself — turned out payroll had it right, which was a relief.
Where do people mess this up? They assume OT kicks in after 8 hours a day. Under federal FLSA it does not. Daily overtime is a state thing — mainly California. If you’re in a daily-OT state, your weekly gross formula changes. See how to count overtime hours on a weekly timesheet for the daily-vs-weekly distinction.
Weekly Gross Pay at $20/Hour, Various Hours
| Hours Worked | Regular Pay | OT Hours | OT Pay | Weekly Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | $800 | 0 | $0 | $800 |
| 44 | $800 | 4 | $120 | $920 |
| 48 | $800 | 8 | $240 | $1,040 |
| 52 | $800 | 12 | $360 | $1,160 |
| 60 | $800 | 20 | $600 | $1,400 |
Notice the overtime pay grows 1.5× faster than regular pay would. That 60-hour week isn’t 50% more pay than a 40-hour week — it’s 75% more, because all 20 extra hours are at the premium rate.
How Bonuses and Shift Differentials Change the Math
Your “regular rate” for overtime isn’t always just your base hourly wage. FLSA requires certain extra payments to be folded in.
| Pay Element | Included in Regular Rate? | Effect on OT |
|---|---|---|
| Base hourly wage | Yes | Sets the floor |
| Nondiscretionary bonuses (production, attendance) | Yes | Raises OT rate |
| Shift differential (night/weekend premium) | Yes | Raises OT rate |
| Discretionary bonuses (surprise, not promised) | No | No effect |
| Holiday pay (premium for working a holiday) | Usually yes | Raises OT rate |
| Tips (tipped minimum wage setup) | Special rules | Varies |
So if you earn $18 base plus a $2 night differential, your regular rate for OT purposes is $20, and your OT rate is $30 — not $27. A time-and-a-half calculator is handy for confirming the premium rate when there are add-ons in the mix.
State Variations Worth Knowing
Federal FLSA is the floor, not the ceiling. A few states layer on daily overtime:
- California — 1.5× over 8 hrs/day, 2× over 12, plus 7th-day rules.
- New York — federal weekly rule, plus a 10-hour daily spread-of-hours rule in hospitality.
- Texas — federal only, no daily OT.
For the deeper FLSA mechanics, the FLSA overtime overview walks through exempt vs. non-exempt status and the workweek definition. If you’re in one of those daily-OT states, your weekly gross formula needs the daily calculation stacked on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is weekly gross pay calculated with overtime under FLSA?
Multiply regular hours (up to 40) by your hourly rate, then multiply any hours over 40 by 1.5 times your rate. Add both together for weekly gross pay. For example, 46 hours at $20/hr = $800 regular + $180 overtime = $980.
Does FLSA overtime apply after 8 hours a day?
Under federal FLSA, no — overtime is based on the 40-hour workweek, not daily hours. California, and a few other states, add daily overtime rules on top of the federal weekly rule.
Is overtime calculated on gross or net pay?
Overtime is calculated on your hourly rate, which is a gross figure. Taxes and deductions come out afterward. The 1.5 multiplier applies to the gross hourly rate before any withholding.
Do salaried employees get FLSA overtime?
Only if they’re non-exempt. Most salaried employees classified as exempt (meeting the salary basis and duties tests, and paid above the $684/week threshold in 2026) do not get overtime. Exempt status depends on job duties, not just the fact of being salaried.
The Bottom Line
Weekly gross with overtime is regular hours times rate plus overtime hours times 1.5 times rate — but only if you remember to fold bonuses and differentials into the regular rate first. Run your real hours and rate through the weekly-pay-calculator each pay period so you spot any shortchange before the deposit hits.