Double Time vs Time and a Half: When Does 2x Apply?
What each multiplier is worth
| Base rate | Time and a half | Double time | 8 hours at 1.5x | 8 hours at 2x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $36.00 | $216 | $288 |
| $22.00 | $33.00 | $44.00 | $264 | $352 |
| $28.00 | $42.00 | $56.00 | $336 | $448 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $70.00 | $420 | $560 |
| $45.00 | $67.50 | $90.00 | $540 | $720 |
Time and a half is the law; double time is a deal
Federal overtime law sets exactly one premium: 1.5 times the regular rate for hours worked past 40 in a workweek. There is no federal circumstance — not nights, not Sundays, not Christmas, not the sixteenth hour of a shift — that requires an employer to pay double.
Every instance of double time therefore comes from one of three places:
- State law. A small number of states add premium rules of their own.
- A collective bargaining agreement. Building trades, transit, healthcare and public safety contracts routinely specify 2x for holidays, seventh consecutive days or callbacks.
- Employer policy. Offered to make unattractive shifts fill, and enforceable as a term of employment once promised.
California, the main state exception
California is the reason most Americans have heard of double time at all. Its rules run on the day as well as the week:
| Situation | Rate |
|---|---|
| Past 8 hours in a workday | 1.5x |
| Past 12 hours in a workday | 2x |
| Past 40 hours in a workweek | 1.5x |
| First 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek | 1.5x |
| Past 8 hours on that seventh consecutive day | 2x |
A 14-hour day in California pays 8 hours straight, 4 hours at 1.5x and 2 hours at 2x. A few other states — Alaska, Nevada, Colorado and others — have daily overtime rules of their own, generally at 1.5x rather than 2x. Rules change, so confirm with the state labour agency rather than with a table on the internet.
Holidays are not automatically premium pay
Working Thanksgiving or the Fourth of July does not, by federal law, earn any extra rate at all. Private employers are not even required to give paid holidays. Holiday premium pay is common, popular and entirely voluntary unless a contract or state rule creates it.
The one thing to watch on a holiday week is the interaction covered in the overtime basics guide: if the employer pays 8 holiday hours you did not work, those hours usually do not count toward the 40-hour federal overtime threshold.
How the multipliers stack
They do not stack in the sense of multiplying together. An hour that qualifies under two rules is paid at the higher rate once, not at 1.5x and then again at 2x. Payroll assigns each hour to exactly one bucket — straight, 1.5x or 2x — which is how the overtime calculator on this site is laid out, with a separate hours box for each bucket.
Enter your regular rate and the extra hours, and get the overtime rate, the weekly total, and what the whole week actually paid per hour.
Frequently asked questions
Does federal law ever require double time?
No. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires 1.5 times the regular rate past 40 hours in a workweek and nothing beyond that. Double time always comes from a state rule, a union contract or employer policy.
When does California pay double time?
Past 12 hours in a single workday, and past 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek. Hours past 8 in a day and past 40 in a week are paid at time and a half.
Do I get extra pay for working a holiday?
Not under federal law. Private employers are not required to pay a premium or even to offer paid holidays, though many do by policy or contract.
Can overtime rates stack on top of each other?
No. An hour that qualifies under more than one rule is paid once at the highest applicable rate rather than at both.
You might also need
Related calculators
Spotted a wrong number? Report it — corrections ship in the next deploy.