Overtime Pay Calculator
Enter your hourly rate, normal hours and overtime hours, pick the overtime multiplier (1.5×, 2× or custom), and see the overtime pay and your total for the week.
How it works
Overtime pay = hourly rate × multiplier × overtime hours. At £14/hour, 6 hours at time-and-a-half is 14 × 1.5 × 6 = £126.
Total pay = (rate × normal hours) + overtime pay. A 37.5-hour week at £14 plus those 6 overtime hours comes to £525 + £126 = £651 before tax.
The same structure handles any multiplier: 4 hours of double time at £14 is 14 × 2 × 4 = £112, and a custom multiplier of 1.25× on 8 hours gives 14 × 1.25 × 8 = £140. Note that the multiplier applies only to the overtime hours — a classic error is multiplying the whole week by 1.5, which wildly overstates the total.
There is no statutory overtime rate in the UK — the multiplier is whatever your contract says, and employers don’t have to offer premium rates at all. The only legal floor is that your AVERAGE pay across all hours worked must not drop below the National Minimum Wage.
That average test is worth knowing how to run: divide your total pay for the pay period by ALL hours actually worked, including unpaid overtime. For salaried staff who regularly work well beyond their contracted hours without extra pay, the effective hourly rate falls with every extra hour — and if it falls below the minimum wage for your age, the employer is in breach even though the salary looked fine on paper.
What the result shows: gross pay for the week — before tax, National Insurance or pension deductions, all of which apply to overtime exactly as they do to basic pay. It also assumes your overtime is paid in money; some contracts offer time off in lieu (TOIL) instead, in which case the hours bank as leave rather than appearing in the pay packet, and this calculator doesn’t model that trade.
FAQ
Is my employer legally required to pay time-and-a-half?
No. UK law sets no overtime premium — your contract determines whether overtime is paid at a higher rate, at your normal rate, taken as time off in lieu (TOIL), or is unpaid for salaried staff. The legal backstop is the National Minimum Wage: total pay divided by total hours worked in the pay reference period must not fall below it.
What is time-and-a-half and double time?
Time-and-a-half means 1.5× your basic hourly rate (£14 becomes £21 per overtime hour) and is common for weekend or late shifts where a premium is offered. Double time (2×) is rarer and typically reserved for bank holidays or unsociable call-outs. Check your contract or staff handbook for which hours attract which multiplier.
Is overtime taxed more than normal pay?
No — overtime is added to your gross pay and taxed through PAYE at exactly the same rates as the rest of your income. It can feel more heavily taxed because the extra income sits at the top of your pay, so it may be taxed at your highest marginal rate, and a big overtime month can temporarily push more of that month’s pay into a higher band until PAYE evens out.
How do I calculate double time?
Multiply your basic hourly rate by 2, then by the double-time hours: at £14 an hour, 4 hours of double time is 14 × 2 × 4 = £112. Add that to your normal pay for the week — the doubled rate never applies to your ordinary hours, only to the specific hours your contract designates as double time, typically bank holidays or unsociable call-outs.
Can overtime legally be unpaid?
For many salaried staff, yes — if the contract says extra hours are part of the job, no premium or extra pay is owed. The single legal backstop is the National Minimum Wage: total pay divided by total hours actually worked must not fall below your age rate. Regular heavy unpaid overtime on a modest salary can cross that line, at which point the arrangement stops being lawful.
What is time off in lieu (TOIL)?
An arrangement where overtime is compensated with equivalent time off rather than money — work 6 extra hours, bank 6 hours of leave. Whether TOIL is offered, and at what exchange rate, is entirely a matter for your contract, as UK law mandates no particular overtime reward. If your overtime is settled through TOIL, the cash figures from this calculator won’t appear in your pay packet.
How do I check my unpaid overtime against the minimum wage?
Divide your total pay for the pay reference period by every hour you actually worked, including the unpaid ones. If a salary works out at, say, £600 for a week in which you worked 50 hours, your true hourly rate is £12 — and it drops further with each additional unpaid hour. Compare that effective rate against the minimum wage for your age using our minimum wage calculator.