How the Hours Pay Calculator works
This tool converts an hourly wage into the pay figures most people actually compare: what a paycheck looks like weekly and biweekly, and what that adds up to per month and per year. It handles overtime the way most U.S. employers structure it — a multiplier applied to hours worked beyond your regular schedule.
The formula
Regular pay is straightforward: hourly rate × regular hours per week. Overtime pay adds hourly rate × overtime multiplier × overtime hours per week. The two are added together for weekly gross pay:
Weekly gross pay = (rate × regular hours) + (rate × OT multiplier × OT hours)
From there, biweekly pay is simply weekly pay × 2. Annual pay is weekly pay × weeks worked per year (52 for a full year with no unpaid time off). Monthly pay is annual pay ÷ 12 — not weekly pay × 4, because a year averages about 4.33 weeks per month, not exactly 4.
Worked example
At $25/hour for 40 regular hours plus 5 overtime hours at time-and-a-half, weekly pay is (25 × 40) + (25 × 1.5 × 5) = $1,000 + $187.50 = $1,187.50. Across 52 weeks that is $61,750 per year, or about $5,145.83 per month.
Overtime rules to know
- Federal floor: under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most non-exempt hourly employees must earn at least 1.5× their regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a single workweek.
- Some states go further: a handful of states require daily overtime (for example, after 8 hours in a day) or double-time in specific circumstances — check your state's labor rules if that applies to you.
- Exempt employees: salaried workers who meet exemption tests are generally not entitled to overtime pay at all, regardless of hours worked.
What this calculator does not include
All figures here are gross pay — before federal and state income tax withholding, FICA (Social Security and Medicare), and any pre-tax deductions like health insurance or retirement contributions. Take-home pay is typically lower than gross pay, often by 20–35% depending on your tax bracket, state, and benefit elections.