How to Calculate Double Time Pay
Double time is twice your regular hourly rate, paid only on the hours your contract, policy or state law sets as double time. Convert those hours to decimal, multiply by 2 × your rate, and add pay for the other hours. At $24 an hour, 1:45 of double time is 1.75 × $48 = $84.00.
This is general information for US workers, not legal or tax advice. Whether you are owed double time, and for which hours, depends on your state, your contract and your employer's policy. The examples below use a stated, hypothetical policy so the math is clear.
What is double time?
Double time is a pay rate of 2× your regular hourly rate. If you normally earn $24.00 an hour, a double-time hour pays $48.00. It sits one tier above time-and-a-half (1.5×, or $36.00 at the same base), which is the overtime rate most people know.
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not require double time. It requires time-and-a-half for non-exempt employees on hours over 40 in a workweek, and stops there. Where double time does appear, it usually comes from one of three places:
- A state law. A small number of states require it in some situations, typically very long days or a seventh consecutive workday. Most states have no double-time rule at all.
- A union or collective bargaining agreement. Common for holidays, call-backs, and hours past a daily or weekly limit.
- An employer's own policy. Holiday shifts, short-notice coverage, or as an incentive for hard-to-fill hours.
So the first job is not arithmetic. It is finding the rule that defines which of your hours are double time. Everything after that is mechanical. (For the 1.5× tier on its own, see how to calculate overtime and time-and-a-half.)
How do you calculate double time pay?
Every hour you work goes into exactly one tier, each tier gets its own rate, and you add the tiers. The steps:
- Find your regular hourly rate. This guide uses
$24.00. - Work out the three rates. Straight time 1× =
$24.00, time-and-a-half 1.5× =$36.00, double time 2× =$48.00. - Split each day's hours into tiers. Apply your policy's thresholds in order. Under a policy of 1.5× after 8 hours in a day and 2× after 12, a
13:45day is 8:00 straight, 4:00 at 1.5× (hours 8 to 12) and 1:45 at 2× (everything past 12). - Total each tier, then convert to decimal hours. Add in H:MM first so the minutes carry correctly, then divide the minutes by 60:
1:45 = 1.75,6:45 = 6.75. (Hours to decimal has the full table.) - Multiply each tier by its rate and add. That sum is your gross pay before deductions.
For the single 13:45 day above, that is 8 × $24 = $192.00, plus 4 × $36 = $144.00, plus 1.75 × $48 = $84.00, for $420.00. As a check, the tiers add back to the day: 8:00 + 4:00 + 1:45 = 13:45.
Double time rate table
Multiply by 2 for double time and by 2.5 for “double time and a half,” a rate some contracts use for holidays.
| Regular rate | Time-and-a-half (1.5×) | Double time (2×) | Double time and a half (2.5×) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $30.00 | $37.50 |
| $18.50 | $27.75 | $37.00 | $46.25 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $40.00 | $50.00 |
| $22.50 | $33.75 | $45.00 | $56.25 |
| $24.00 | $36.00 | $48.00 | $60.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $50.00 | $62.50 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $60.00 | $75.00 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $70.00 | $87.50 |
What does a full week with double time look like?
Take a worker at $24.00 an hour whose policy pays 1.5× for hours over 8 in a day and 2× for hours over 12 in a day. These are hours worked, with unpaid breaks already taken out:
| Day | Hours worked | Straight (1×) | Overtime (1.5×) | Double (2×) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30 | 8:00 | 0:30 | — |
| Tuesday | 10:15 | 8:00 | 2:15 | — |
| Wednesday | 13:45 | 8:00 | 4:00 | 1:45 |
| Thursday | 8:00 | 8:00 | — | — |
| Friday | 6:20 | 6:20 | — | — |
| Week | 46:50 | 38:20 | 6:45 | 1:45 |
Check the split before doing any pay math: 38:20 + 6:45 + 1:45 = 46:50, the same as the hours column. If the tiers do not add back to the total, an hour is missing or counted twice.
Now convert each tier to decimal hours and multiply:
- Straight:
38:20 = 38.33hours (20 ÷ 60 = 0.333), so38.333 × $24 = $920.00. - Overtime:
6:45 = 6.75hours, so6.75 × $36 = $243.00. - Double time:
1:45 = 1.75hours, so1.75 × $48 = $84.00.
Gross pay for the week: $920.00 + $243.00 + $84.00 = $1,247.00.
Policies like this one often add a weekly rule too, such as straight-time hours over 40 moving to 1.5×. Here the straight-time hours are 38:20, under 40, so nothing moves. If they had come to more than 40, the excess would shift out of the straight column before you multiplied.
How much does the tier structure change the pay?
Compare the same 46:50 week paid under weekly overtime only, the federal minimum: 40:00 at straight time and the remaining 6:50 at 1.5×.
- Straight:
40 × $24 = $960.00. - Overtime:
6:50 = 6.833hours, so6.833 × $36 = $246.00. - Total:
$1,206.00.
The daily-tier policy pays $1,247.00, which is $41.00 more for the same hours, because the long Tuesday and Wednesday earn premiums even though the week only just passes 40. That is why it matters which rule you are actually under, and why it is worth recomputing a paycheck yourself when a week has one very long day.
How does holiday double time work?
“Double time on holidays” is used for two different policies, and they only agree on a full shift:
- 2× the rate for hours worked on the holiday. Work 5:30 at $24 and you get
5.5 × $48 = $264.00. - Regular rate for hours worked, plus a day of holiday pay. The same 5:30 is
5.5 × $24 = $132.00, plus 8 hours of holiday pay at8 × $24 = $192.00, for$324.00.
On a full 8:00 shift both come to $384.00, which is why people call them the same thing. On a short or long holiday shift they diverge, so read the wording. Note also that paid holiday hours you do not work generally do not count as hours worked toward a 40-hour weekly overtime threshold under federal rules; only the hours you actually work do.
Do double time and overtime stack?
Usually not. Most policies pay each hour once, at the highest tier it qualifies for. An hour that is both past 12 in the day and past 40 in the week is paid at 2×, not at 1.5× plus 2×. That is the same “every hour in exactly one column” rule from the week above. Your contract or handbook is the final word if it says otherwise.
Is double time based on the base rate or the regular rate?
It depends on the rule that creates it. Federal overtime is calculated on the regular rate, which can include shift differentials and non-discretionary bonuses, not just the base wage. Many double-time rules follow the same approach. If you earn $24.00 plus a $2.00 differential on every hour, the regular rate is $26.00 and double time would be $52.00, not $48.00. When a differential applies to only some hours, the regular rate is a weighted average; how to calculate shift differential pay walks through that case.
Mistakes that cost money
Typing 1:45 as 1.45
1:45 is an hour and three quarters, 1.75 hours. Enter 1.45 and the double-time line pays 1.45 × $48 = $69.60 instead of $84.00, $14.40 short on a single day. A phone calculator cannot tell the difference; why your phone's calculator can't add time explains the trap.
Doubling the whole day
Double time applies only to the hours past the threshold. A 13:45 day under the policy above is $420.00, not 13.75 × $48 = $660.00.
Forgetting the middle tier
Paying Wednesday as 8:00 straight and 5:45 all at 1.5× misses the double-time step: the week comes to $1,226.00 instead of $1,247.00, $21.00 short (the 1:45 paid at $36 instead of $48).
Converting before you add
Round each day to two decimals and the errors pile up. Total each tier in H:MM, convert once, and multiply once.
Total each tier without converting by hand
Hours adds each tier in H:MM with the carry handled for you (0:30 + 2:15 + 4:00 = 6:45), tap once to see it in decimal hours (6.75), and enter that tier's rate to see the pay. Keep each total in saved history and export a CSV or PDF timesheet for your records. Free, offline, no ads, no tracking, no sign-in.
Frequently asked questions
Is double time required by law?
Not under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which only requires time-and-a-half for hours over 40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees. Double time comes from a small number of state laws, union contracts and employer policies. Check the rules that apply to you.
What is double time for $20 an hour?
$40.00 an hour. Eight hours of double time is $320.00, and 2:30 of double time is 2.5 × $40 = $100.00.
How do you calculate double time and a half?
Multiply the regular rate by 2.5. At $24.00 an hour that is $60.00, so 8 hours is $480.00.
Do double time and overtime stack?
Usually not. Most policies pay each hour once, at the highest tier it qualifies for, so a double-time hour is paid at 2×, not 1.5× plus 2×.
How do I calculate double time for minutes?
Divide the minutes by 60 and multiply by the double-time rate. 20 minutes at $48.00 is 20 ÷ 60 × $48 = $16.00.
Is working a holiday paid at double time?
Only if your employer's policy or contract says so; federal law does not require a premium for holiday work. Some policies pay 2× for hours worked on the holiday, others pay regular rate plus a day of holiday pay, and the two give different totals for a short shift.