Solo Work ToolsOvertime basicsFor hourly workers paid every two weeks. Drag the slider: same 80 hours, different overtime.
Updated November 2026 · By the Honest Little Apps studio · Not legal advice
Weekly. Under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime is owed for hours over 40 in a workweek, at not less than one and a half times your regular rate. The Department of Labor's Fact Sheet 23 (revised October 2019) says plainly: "Averaging of hours over two or more weeks is not permitted."
Right. Each week stands on its own. Week 2 has 10 overtime hours, even though the pay period totals exactly 80. At $20 an hour that's $1,700 gross instead of $1,600: a $100 difference on one paycheck.
Whenever your employer fixed it. The DOL defines a workweek as "a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours," and says it "may begin on any day and at any hour." It doesn't have to match your pay period or the calendar week, so ask payroll which day yours starts.
Overtime is counted one workweek at a time; the pay period is only when you get paid.
Most U.S. hourly workers fall under the federal weekly rule, but a few situations change the math. Tap through four questions.
Where do you work?
Do you work at a hospital or residential care facility that agreed an "8 and 80" schedule with you in advance?
Do you work in California?
Federal weekly rule. Overtime after 40 hours in each fixed workweek, at least 1.5× your regular rate. Hours can't be averaged across a biweekly pay period. Your state can add rules on top, never fewer protections, so check your state labor department too.
Source: DOL Fact Sheet 23.
Daily and weekly. California's Labor Commissioner says overtime is due over 8 hours in a workday or 40 in a workweek, at 1.5×, and double time over 12 hours in a workday. A biweekly total still doesn't average anything away.
Source: California DIR overtime FAQ.
The 8 and 80 system. Hospitals and residential care establishments may use a fixed 14-day period instead of the workweek, paying 1.5× for hours over 8 in a workday and over 80 in the 14 days, but only with a prior agreement with employees.
Source: DOL Fact Sheet 54 (revised July 2009).
Ontario: 44 hours. Most employees get overtime after 44 hours in a work week at 1½ times the regular rate. Unlike the U.S. rule, Ontario allows a written averaging agreement over two to four weeks.
Source: Ontario ESA guide (updated February 2026).
Check your local labour authority. We only cover U.S. federal rules, California and Ontario here. Your employment contract or collective agreement may also set better terms.
Not every job is covered. Some salaried roles are exempt from overtime, and Fact Sheet 23 notes the requirement "may not be waived by agreement between the employer and employees."
A night-shift aide picks up three extra shifts in the second week of a pay period: 32 hours, then 48. The stub shows 80 regular hours at $19.50 and no overtime line. By the weekly rule, 8 of those hours should have paid time and a half: $1,638 gross, not $1,560.
That $78 might have an explanation. Some clinics use 8 and 80, for instance. The point is to know which rule you're on before payday, not after. This story is an illustration; the arithmetic is checked.
We built EarnCheck to answer this exact question with your own shifts. You set your employer's real workweek, even when it differs from your pay period, and pick a preset: Ontario's 44-hour weekly rule, the U.S. federal 40-hour rule, or your own agreement. Each preset links to its official source and lists its exceptions. Tap Show the Math to see the hours, rates and overtime behind every amount.
The honest limits: EarnCheck estimates gross pay from the hours and rules you enter. It does not calculate taxes or deductions, is not a payroll system and does not give legal advice. A difference is something to review, not proof of an error. Daily overtime, double time and night, weekend or holiday premiums are part of EarnCheck Pro; the free version covers one job, a full first pay period, weekly overtime and a payday comparison.
Pick something else if your employer's time clock app already shows weekly overtime you trust, or if you need a tool that files a wage claim for you. EarnCheck never contacts your employer.
| Method | Good at | Misses |
|---|---|---|
| Pay stub alone | Shows what was paid | Rarely shows which week the hours fell in |
| Paper notebook | Free, always on you | You do the weekly split and the 1.5× math |
| Spreadsheet | Flexible formulas | Overnight shifts and workweek start days get fiddly |
| EarnCheck (ours) | Your workweek, line-by-line payday check | No taxes or deductions; manual shift entry |
overtime flagged
overnights stay one shiftNot under the federal FLSA. The Department of Labor says averaging hours over two or more weeks is not permitted. The 8 and 80 system for hospitals and residential care, agreed in advance, is a separate exception.
Overtime still follows the workweek. Hours from one workweek can land on two different paychecks, which is a common reason a stub looks wrong when it isn't, and a good thing to check first.
Only if each workweek was 40 hours or less. A 30-and-50 split still has 10 overtime hours in the second week under the federal rule.
Set your workweek, confirm shifts in one tap, then compare gross with gross. Try a sample payday before entering anything.