Calculate California overtime pay with accurate daily and weekly overtime rules. California has stricter overtime laws than federal FLSA.
California Overtime Pay Calculator
California has stricter overtime rules than federal law — daily overtime applies after 8 hours/day AND weekly after 40 hours.
Regular Pay
1.5x OT Pay
2x OT Pay
Total Pay
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California Overtime Laws: Daily and Weekly Rules
California has some of the strictest overtime laws in the United States. Unlike federal law (FLSA), which only requires overtime after 40 hours per week, California requires overtime for hours worked beyond 8 in a single day — regardless of the weekly total.
California Overtime Rules (2024)
Over 8 hours per day: 1.5× regular rate
Over 12 hours per day: 2× regular rate
Over 40 hours per week: 1.5× regular rate
7th consecutive day of workweek: 1.5× for first 8 hours, 2× after 8 hours
California Minimum Wage (2024)
California's minimum wage is $16/hour as of January 1, 2024 for most workers. Fast food workers covered by AB 1228 receive $20/hour as of April 1, 2024. Healthcare workers are seeing phased increases to $25/hour under SB 525. Local ordinances in cities like San Francisco ($18.67) and Los Angeles ($17.28) may be higher.
Frequently Asked Questions
Both. California requires overtime after 8 hours in a workday (daily overtime) AND after 40 hours in a workweek (weekly overtime). If an employee works 9 hours one day but only 36 hours total that week, they still get 1 hour of daily overtime. The employer must pay whichever calculation results in more overtime pay — they cannot 'offset' daily overtime with short days later in the week.
Employees earn 2× (double-time) their regular rate for: (1) any hours over 12 in a workday, and (2) hours worked on the 7th consecutive day of a workweek beyond the first 8. The first 8 hours on the 7th day pay 1.5×; beyond 8 hours that day pays 2×.
Some salaried employees are exempt, but California's exemption threshold is higher than federal: the exempt employee must earn at least twice the state minimum wage for full-time work ($66,560/year in 2024 at $16 minimum wage) AND their primary duty must be executive, administrative, or professional work. Simply being paid a salary does not exempt you.
No. Overtime rights cannot be waived by agreement in California. Any agreement to work overtime without additional pay is void and unenforceable. Employers who pay employees flat salaries and expect long hours without overtime pay are likely violating California law, regardless of what the employment contract says.