If the same employer pays you different hourly rates for two types of work in one workweek, federal overtime generally uses a weighted average regular rate. Add the straight-time earnings from both jobs, divide by all hours actually worked for that employer in the workweek, and calculate the overtime premium on hours over 40. The highest rate or the rate paid during the last four hours is not automatically the overtime regular rate.
This guide illustrates the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) method for a covered, nonexempt employee. State rules, additional compensation and certain permitted alternative methods can change an actual payroll calculation.
Weighted-average formula
When straight-time pay already covers all hours worked, including the hours beyond 40, the basic federal calculation is:
- Weekly straight-time earnings: add hours × hourly rate for each type of work.
- Regular rate: divide those earnings by all hours actually worked in that workweek.
- Overtime hours: subtract 40 from total hours worked, if the employee is covered and the total exceeds 40.
- Additional overtime premium: multiply overtime hours by one-half of the weighted-average regular rate.
The final half-time step adds the missing premium because the straight-time earnings in step one already paid each worked hour once. Paying all 44 hours at their assigned rates and then adding four more hours at 1.5 times the regular rate would count the straight-time portion of those four hours twice.
Example: 24 hours at $20 and 20 hours at $31
Suppose one employer pays an employee $20 per hour for one type of work and $31 per hour for another. Both are established straight-time rates. In one fixed workweek, the employee works 24 hours at the first rate and 20 at the second. Assume there are no bonuses or other payments that change the regular rate.
| Work | Hours | Rate | Straight-time earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type A | 24 | $20 | 24 × $20 = $480 |
| Type B | 20 | $31 | 20 × $31 = $620 |
| Total | 44 | — | $1,100 |
The weighted-average regular rate is $1,100 ÷ 44 = $25 per hour. Four hours exceed the federal 40-hour threshold. The additional premium is 4 × $25 × 0.5 = $50. The illustrated gross pay is therefore $1,100 + $50 = $1,150.
The $25 rate is weighted by the hours spent at each job. It is not the simple average of $20 and $31, which would be $25.50 and would give equal weight to the two rates despite different hours worked.
Why the pay statement may look different
A pay statement might show each job’s earnings and a separate overtime adjustment. Another payroll presentation may split straight-time and overtime lines differently. Compare the total hours, compensation included in the regular rate, applicable premium and total gross wages rather than requiring the statement to display the exact four lines used in this illustration.
Certain nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials or other compensation can affect the regular rate. Some payments are excluded by statute. The example assumes only two established hourly rates and no other relevant pay.
Can overtime use the rate in effect instead?
The FLSA permits a different method in specified circumstances: overtime can be based on the established rate for the type of work performed during the overtime hours. The U.S. Department of Labor explains that this method requires an agreement or understanding made before the work, among other conditions. It is not established merely because payroll chose the last job’s rate after the week ended.
If your employer uses that method, ask which work was performed during the overtime hours and how the agreement and rates satisfy the applicable requirements. This guide’s $1,150 example uses the weighted-average method and should not be treated as the required total under every permitted arrangement.
Check the workweek and employer
Federal overtime is generally measured within a fixed, recurring 168-hour workweek. Do not average two weeks together, and do not calculate overtime separately for two roles performed for the same employer just because they have different job titles or rates.
Work for two genuinely separate employers raises a different question; the hours are not automatically combined merely because both jobs appear in your personal calendar. Whether businesses are joint employers depends on the employment relationship. This page does not determine joint-employer status.
Using the PayHoursLab calculators
Our overtime calculator accepts only one hourly rate. It cannot derive a weighted average from two rates. If you have independently confirmed a $25 regular rate and 44 worked hours for the simple example above, entering those values with a 40-hour threshold and 1.5× multiplier reproduces the $1,150 arithmetic total. Its regular-pay and overtime-pay display may group the earnings differently from a pay statement that lists both jobs.
Do not enter either $20 or $31 as though it were the rate for the whole week. Use the time card calculator to check worked hours if needed, but keep a separate record showing which hours were paid at each rate. The calculators do not evaluate bonuses, permitted alternative overtime methods, exemptions or state-specific requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Do I get overtime only if one of my two jobs exceeds 40 hours?
Under the federal rule, hours worked in different roles for the same employer are generally considered together in the workweek. In the example, neither role has 40 hours alone, but their combined 44 hours include four overtime hours.
Is the regular rate the average of my two hourly rates?
It is generally a weighted average based on hours and includable earnings, not a simple average of the two quoted rates. A rate earned for 24 hours has more weight than a rate earned for 20 hours.
Why add only another half-time premium?
This method first pays every worked hour at its established straight-time rate, including the hours over 40. The extra half of the weighted regular rate brings those overtime hours to the required time-and-a-half level in the illustrated federal calculation.
Sources and methodology
Reviewed October 8, 2026. The weighted-average rule was checked against 29 CFR 778.115 and the U.S. Department of Labor’s Fact Sheet #23. The explanation of an additional half-time premium and the advance-agreement alternative was cross-checked with the Department’s direct-care FAQ, question 46. The $20 and $31 example is hypothetical arithmetic for one employer and one workweek. This guide does not determine a particular employee’s overtime eligibility or final wages.