What extra hours actually pay, what they do to your real hourly rate, and whether your salary clears the 2026 exempt threshold.
Federal rule: 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The 2026 exempt salary level is $684 per week ($35,568 a year).
Overtime pay per week
$0
Total pay per week
$0
Extra per year
$0
Real hourly rate
$0
| Line item | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular hours | 0 | $0 | $0 |
| Overtime hours | 0 | $0 | $0 |
| Total week | 0 | — | $0 |
Federal law requires at least one and one half times the regular rate for every hour beyond 40 in a workweek. On a $30 hourly rate that is $45 per overtime hour. Some employers and some states require double time in specific situations, for example hours beyond 12 in a day in California. Overtime is measured by workweek, not by pay period, so two uneven weeks are not averaged together.
The federal standard salary level is $684 per week, or $35,568 per year. A 2024 rule that would have raised it to $58,656 was vacated by a federal court in November 2024, and the Department of Labor formally restored the 2019 level by technical amendment in May 2026. Several states, including California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Washington and Alaska, set higher thresholds, and the more protective figure controls. Salary is only half the test; the duties test also has to be met.
Yes. A salary alone does not remove overtime rights. If the salary is below the threshold, or if the actual duties do not meet the executive, administrative or professional tests, you are non-exempt and overtime is owed. Someone on a high salary who does not perform genuinely exempt duties is still owed overtime, and that is where most misclassification claims come from.
Overtime is ordinary income, taxed the same way as regular wages, though it may be withheld at the flat 22% supplemental rate depending on how payroll processes it. Withholding is not the final tax; it is reconciled when you file. A large amount of overtime can push total income into a higher bracket, but only the dollars within that bracket are taxed at the higher rate.