California · rules verified
California Overtime Calculator
California pays overtime three ways at once: after 8 hours in a day, after 40 in a week, and on the seventh consecutive day of the workweek — with double time after 12 hours in a day or after 8 on that seventh day. None of the daily or double-time extra counts toward the federal deduction.
California workweek
Bonus, shift pay & state options
$1,624.00
50 h worked · 16 h at 1.5×
| Straight-time pay (all hours + bonus) | $1,400.00 |
|---|---|
| Overtime premium at 1.5× | $224.00 |
| Double-time premium at 2× | $0.00 |
| Total for the week | $1,624.00 |
Your no-tax-on-overtime deduction
California (2026): taxes all overtime — no state deduction.
Labor Code § 510 hour by hour
Each day is split first: hours 9 through 12 earn 1.5×, hours beyond 12 earn 2×. The weekly test then looks only at the regular hours left over, so the same hour is never paid twice — the code says an employer need not combine rates. On the seventh consecutive day worked in the workweek, the first 8 hours are 1.5× and anything beyond is 2×.
Alternative workweek schedules adopted under § 511 — for example four 10-hour days voted in by a work unit — change the daily threshold. The calculator assumes no alternative schedule.
Bonuses: the flat-sum rule
The Labor Commissioner treats a flat-sum bonus differently from a production bonus. A flat sum is divided by the regular, non-overtime hours of the period and overtime on it is paid at the full 1.5× or 2×; a production bonus is spread over all hours and earns an extra half. Choose the bonus type under “Bonus, shift pay & state options” to see the difference.
Filing a claim with the Labor Commissioner
Workers file wage claims with the Labor Commissioner’s Office (DLSE) online or on paper; the office investigates, holds a settlement conference and, if needed, a hearing. Garment workers file under the Garment Worker Protection Act instead. Bring time records and pay stubs — the more documentation up front, the faster the claim moves.
Minimum wage and state tax
The statewide minimum rose from $10.00 in 2016 to $16.90 in 2026 and reaches $17.40 on January 1, 2027, after the Department of Finance certified the increase in July 2026. The Franchise Tax Board states plainly that California does not conform to the federal overtime deduction, so every dollar of overtime is taxed at state rates.
Example week
A California worker at the state median of $28.00 who works four 12-hour days and a 2-hour fifth day shows how daily overtime outruns the federal count.
| Day | Hours | Regular | 1.5× | 2× |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Tue | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Wed | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Thu | 12 | 8 | 4 | 0 |
| Fri | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Minimum wage path
| 2016 | 2018 | 2020 | 2022 | 2024 | Now | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10.00 | 11.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 16.00 | 16.90 | 17.40 |