Overtime Rate Calculator

What The Overtime Result Means

The calculator shows estimated gross pay for the selected pay period. It separates ordinary pay from overtime pay, then adds any bonus or allowance you enter. It also divides total gross pay by total counted hours to show an average hourly figure. That floor check is useful because UK workers must still be paid at least the applicable National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage for the pay reference period, even where overtime and allowances make the payslip look more complicated.

Overtime is mostly contract-led. UK law does not create one universal time-and-a-half rule for every job. Some contracts pay plain time, some pay time-and-a-half after a threshold, some pay double time for bank holidays, and some give time off in lieu. This page lets you enter the multiplier that applies to the hours being checked. If different parts of the overtime are paid at different rates, run separate calculations and add the results.

The result is gross pay before deductions. It does not calculate PAYE tax, National Insurance, pension contributions, student loan deductions, salary sacrifice, holiday pay, sick pay or universal credit impact. Use the output to check the pay rate and overtime arithmetic before using a full payslip calculator.

Overtime Formula

Basic pay:

basic pay = base hourly rate x basic hours

Overtime hourly rate:

overtime hourly rate = base hourly rate x overtime multiplier + flat premium

Overtime pay:

overtime pay = overtime hours x overtime hourly rate

Total gross pay:

total gross pay = basic pay + overtime pay + bonus or allowance

Average hourly pay:

average hourly pay = total gross pay / (basic hours + overtime hours)

Floor shortfall:

shortfall = max(0, NMW floor x counted hours - total gross pay)

The floor check is only a broad arithmetic check. Some payments may or may not count for minimum wage purposes, and some deductions can reduce minimum wage pay. Use GOV.UK guidance or adviser support for a formal check.

Worked Overtime Examples

Common Overtime Patterns

Checking A Payslip Against The Rota

Start with hours. Count ordinary hours, overtime hours, unpaid breaks, paid breaks, on-call call-outs and any shift premium separately. Then match each hours group to a payslip line. If overtime is rounded, check the employer’s rounding rule. A small quarter-hour difference can matter over several weeks.

Next check the rate. Some contracts calculate overtime from basic hourly pay only. Others include certain allowances. Salaried workers may need an hourly equivalent before the multiplier can be checked. If overtime is pensionable or affects holiday pay, that is a separate payroll question and not decided by this calculator.

Keep a copy of the rota, timesheets, approvals and payslip. If the result does not match the payslip, ask payroll for the calculation before assuming the payslip is wrong. If minimum wage is a concern, keep the pay reference period together with the hours and deductions.

Pay Period And Contract Checks

Overtime often crosses payroll cut-off dates. A shift worked on the last day of the month may be approved after payroll closes and paid in the next period. If the calculator result is higher than the payslip, check whether all overtime hours were due in that payslip or whether some have been carried forward.

Read the contract or staff handbook for the trigger point. Some jobs pay overtime only after contracted weekly hours are worked. Others pay it after a daily threshold, on bank holidays, or when a manager has authorised the extra hours in advance. If time off in lieu replaces cash pay, keep a separate TOIL balance because the gross pay result will not show the value of hours taken later.