Overtime Calculator
Work out overtime pay from your hourly rate or salary: normal pay, overtime pay at the rate in your contract — flat, time and a quarter, time and a half or double time — the total for the period, and a minimum wage check on the average. Free, with nothing to sign up for.
Salaried staff have an hourly rate too once the salary is split over the contracted hours — that is the rate overtime and the minimum wage check run on.
One pay period at a time — a week, or the hours in a monthly pay period.
There is no legal right to an overtime premium — the rate is whatever the contract says, and overtime can lawfully be flat or even unpaid. The contract is the first place to check.
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Your overtime pay
£671.55 total pay for the period
£13.43 an hour on average over 50 hours
- Hourly rate:
- £12.21 an hour.
- Normal pay:
- 40 hours × £12.21 = £488.40.
- Overtime pay:
- 10 hours × £12.21 × 1.5× = £183.15 (overtime rate £18.315 an hour).
- Total pay:
- £488.40 + £183.15 = £671.55.
- Average hourly rate:
- £671.55 ÷ 50 hours = £13.43 an hour — the figure the minimum wage floor is tested against.
- Minimum wage check:
- Passes. £13.43 an hour is at or above the £12.71 minimum for 21 and over (national living wage).
Opens your browser's print view with a clean summary of this calculation — choose “Save as PDF” there to keep a copy.
If overtime is a regular pattern rather than the odd busy week, plan the hours before they reach payroll. Our guide to the best workforce planning software explains how to forecast demand, spot cover gaps and price every hour.
How to use this overtime calculator
This calculator is part of UK Payroll Calculators, a free hub of UK payroll calculators built on the April 2026 rules — no sign-up, no accounts, and every figure worked out in your browser. Enter an hourly rate, or a salary and the contracted hours it covers, then the normal hours and overtime hours in one pay period and the overtime rate from your contract. The calculator shows the normal pay, the overtime pay and the total — and then averages the total over all the hours worked and checks it against the National Minimum Wage for your age band, which is the one legal floor overtime has.
How is overtime pay calculated?
Overtime pay is the overtime hours × your hourly rate × the contract's overtime multiplier. On £12.21 an hour, a week of 40 normal hours and 10 overtime hours at time and a half works out as: normal pay 40 × £12.21 = £488.40; overtime pay 10 × £12.21 × 1.5 = £183.15; total £671.55 for the week — an average of £13.43 an hour over the 50 hours. The multiplier is the only thing that changes between contracts:
| Overtime rate | Overtime pay (10 hours) | Total for the week | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat rate (1×) | £122.10 | £610.50 | No premium — the same rate as normal hours |
| Time and a quarter (1.25×) | £152.63 | £641.03 | — |
| Time and a half (1.5×) | £183.15 | £671.55 | The most common contract rate |
| Double time (2×) | £244.20 | £732.60 | — |
Every row is the same week — £12.21 an hour, 40 normal hours, 10 overtime hours. Only the contract rate changes, which is why two people on the same hourly rate can take home very different overtime pay.
Do employers have to pay extra for overtime?
No — there is no statutory right to an overtime premium in UK law. GOV.UK's overtime guidance says employers do not have to pay workers for overtime at all. Whether overtime is paid, and at what rate, is set by the employment contract: some contracts promise time and a half or double time, many pay the flat hourly rate, and some offer time off in lieu (TOIL) instead of pay. Part-time workers are normally paid at their hourly rate for extra hours, with a premium only where full-time staff would get one. The contract — and any staff handbook it points to — is the document that decides.
Can overtime pull your average pay below the minimum wage?
Yes, and that is the one hard legal line. Your average pay for the total hours you work — normal and overtime together — must not fall below the National Minimum Wage for your age band across the pay reference period. Paid overtime at a premium cannot do it, but flat-rate or unpaid overtime on a salary close to the floor can. Take a £26,000 salary over 37.5 contracted hours: the weekly pay is £500.00, an hourly rate of £13.3333. Add 5 unpaid overtime hours and the same £500.00 is spread over 42.5 hours — £11.76 an hour, below the £12.71 floor for workers aged 21 and over by £0.95 an hour. The current rates, from April 2026:
| Age band | Minimum hourly rate (April 2026) |
|---|---|
| 21 and over (National Living Wage) | £12.71 |
| 18 to 20 | £10.85 |
| Under 18 | £8.00 |
| Apprentice | £8.00 |
The apprentice rate applies to apprentices under 19, and to those aged 19 or over in the first year of an apprenticeship; after that the age-band rate applies. If your own average works out below the floor, the usual first step is raising it with the employer; Acas gives free advice, and HMRC enforces the minimum wage.
How do you work out an hourly rate from a salary?
Divide the annual salary by 52 weeks, then by the contracted hours in a week. A £30,000 salary on a 37.5-hour contract is £30,000 ÷ 52 ÷ 37.5 = £15.3846 an hour. Everything else then runs exactly as it does for an hourly-paid worker: in a week with 5 overtime hours at time and a half, the overtime pays £115.38 on top of the normal weekly £576.92. The same derived rate is the one the minimum wage check uses — which is why contracted hours matter: the more hours the salary is spread over, the lower the rate. The pay split of a part-time salary is a related calculation — our pro-rata salary calculator works out the part-time salary, monthly pay and FTE fraction from the full-time figure.
Rules used by this calculator
| Figure | How it is worked out |
|---|---|
| Overtime premium | No statutory right — the rate comes from the employment contract, and overtime can lawfully be flat-rate or unpaid |
| Overtime pay | Overtime hours × hourly rate × the contract multiplier |
| Hourly rate from a salary | Annual salary ÷ 52 weeks ÷ contracted hours per week |
| Minimum wage floor | Total pay ÷ total hours (normal + overtime) must be at or above the National Minimum Wage for the age band, across the pay reference period |
| Minimum wage rates used (April 2026) | 21 and over £12.71 · 18 to 20 £10.85 · under 18 £8.00 · apprentice £8.00 |
| Previous rates (April 2025) | 21 and over £12.21 · 18 to 20 £10.00 · under 18 £7.55 · apprentice £7.55 |
The rules follow the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 in the form GOV.UK states them in Overtime: your rights and National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates.
Rules and rates checked against GOV.UK on 9 November 2026. This calculator covers pay before tax — Income Tax and National Insurance come off the total in payroll, and your contract may set overtime terms better than the legal floor.
Frequently asked questions
How is overtime pay calculated?
Overtime hours × your hourly rate × the overtime rate in your contract. At £12.21 an hour with 10 overtime hours at time and a half, that is 10 × £12.21 × 1.5 = £183.15 of overtime pay, on top of £488.40 for 40 normal hours — £671.55 for the week. There is no set formula in law: the multiplier comes from the contract, and flat rate or unpaid overtime are both lawful as long as the minimum wage floor below is met.
Do employers have to pay extra for overtime?
No. GOV.UK states it plainly: employers do not have to pay workers for overtime at all. Any overtime rate — time and a half, double time, flat rate, or time off in lieu instead of pay — comes from your employment contract, not from the law. The one legal floor is the National Minimum Wage: your average pay for the total hours you work must not fall below it.
What do time and a half and double time mean?
Time and a half means each overtime hour is paid at 1.5 × your hourly rate — £18.315 an hour on a £12.21 rate. Double time is 2 × the rate, £24.42 an hour on the same base. Time and a quarter is 1.25 ×. These are common contract rates, not legal entitlements: your contract says which, if any, applies, and many contracts pay overtime at the flat hourly rate.
Can overtime take my average pay below the minimum wage?
Yes — and that is when it becomes unlawful. The test is your total pay divided by your total hours, normal and overtime together, across the pay reference period. A £26,000 salary over 37.5 contracted hours is £500.00 a week; add 5 unpaid overtime hours and the average falls to £11.76 an hour — below the £12.71 National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over. If your average is under the floor for your age band, raise it with your employer first; Acas and HMRC can both take it further.
How do I work out my hourly rate from my salary?
Divide the salary by 52 weeks, then by your contracted hours per week. A £30,000 salary on a 37.5-hour week is £30,000 ÷ 52 ÷ 37.5 = £15.3846 an hour. Overtime and the minimum wage check both run on that derived rate — on it, 5 overtime hours at time and a half in a week pay £115.38.
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