Does working a 12-hour day always earn overtime?

Not in most states. The federal rule is based on the workweek, not the day — so four 10-hour days totaling 40 hours earns no overtime at all in most of the country. In California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, daily thresholds mean that same schedule does earn a premium.

Which states have daily overtime?

California pays 1.5 times past 8 hours in a day and 2 times past 12. Alaska and Nevada use an 8-hour daily threshold, with Nevada's applying to employees under a wage cutoff. Colorado uses a 12-hour threshold. Everywhere else follows the federal 40-hour workweek rule alone.

What is California's seventh-day rule?

If you work all seven days in a single workweek, every hour of that seventh day is overtime — 1.5 times your rate for the first eight hours and double time beyond that. It applies regardless of how many hours you worked earlier in the week.

Can my employer average my hours across two weeks to avoid overtime?

No. Overtime is calculated per workweek. An employer cannot offset a 50-hour week against a 30-hour week to average out at 40, even if you are paid biweekly.

Am I exempt from overtime if I am paid a salary?

Being salaried does not by itself make you exempt. Exemption depends on your actual duties and on your salary clearing a federal threshold, and misclassification is common. If you are salaried but your work is largely routine or non-supervisory, it is worth checking.

Overtime Pay Calculator — Alaska

Figure out your real overtime pay using your state's rules, not just the federal 40-hour rule. Covers daily overtime, double time and California's seventh-day premium Figures shown for Alaska.

By StatesideCalc EditorialLast verified July 26, 2026

Provisional rules. State overtime rules have not yet been verified against each labor department. Treat the result as an estimate.

Hourly rate

State

Alaska

Hours worked each day

One workweek. Daily overtime states care how the hours are spread, not just the total.

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

Alaska pays 1.5× past 8 hours in a day for most employers.

Why the day matters, not just the week

Almost every overtime calculator online asks for one number: hours worked this week. That is the federal rule, and for most of the country it is the whole story — time-and-a-half for anything past 40 hours in a workweek.

But it produces the wrong answer for tens of millions of workers, because a handful of states add daily thresholds on top. The difference is not small:

Four 10-hour days, 40 hours total.

Texas, Florida, New York — no overtime. You hit 40 exactly.
California — 8 hours of overtime. Each day earned two premium hours past the 8-hour mark.

Same hours, same rate, materially different paycheck. That is why this calculator asks how your hours were spread across the week rather than just the total.

How the two rules interact

The part people get wrong is double counting. If California already paid you time-and-a-half for hours 9 and 10 on Monday, those hours cannot also count toward the 40-hour weekly threshold and be paid again.

The rule is straightforward once stated: daily overtime is calculated first, and only the hours still classified as regular are tested against the 40-hour weekly limit. This calculator applies them in that order.

Your regular rate is probably higher than your hourly wage

One thing worth knowing that this calculator does not attempt: your “regular rate” for overtime purposes is not always just your hourly wage. Under the FLSA it generally includes nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials and production incentives, spread across the hours worked.

So if you earn $24 an hour plus a $200 monthly attendance bonus, your true regular rate — and therefore your overtime rate — is higher than $24. Employers get this wrong routinely, and it is one of the most common wage claims filed.

What this does not cover

Union contracts, which frequently promise more than the legal minimum.
Exempt status. If you are genuinely exempt, none of this applies — though being paid a salary does not by itself make you exempt.
Local ordinances, which a few cities layer on top of state rules.
The regular-rate adjustment described above.

Treat the result as what the law requires at minimum, and compare it against what your employer actually paid. A gap is worth asking about.

Remember this is gross pay — to see what those overtime hours deposit after federal, FICA and state tax, run the total through the take-home pay calculator. If your extra pay arrives as a bonus instead of overtime, different withholding rules apply.

How this is calculated

Federal (FLSA) floor: 1.5 × regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek Daily overtime states: 1.5 × for hours over the daily threshold (often 8) Double time: 2.0 × past a second daily threshold (California: 12) 7th consecutive day: California pays 1.5 × for the first 8 hours, 2 × after Weekly overtime applies only to hours not already paid as daily overtime, so no hour is ever counted twice.

Frequently asked questions

Does working a 12-hour day always earn overtime?: Not in most states. The federal rule is based on the workweek, not the day — so four 10-hour days totaling 40 hours earns no overtime at all in most of the country. In California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, daily thresholds mean that same schedule does earn a premium.
Which states have daily overtime?: California pays 1.5 times past 8 hours in a day and 2 times past 12. Alaska and Nevada use an 8-hour daily threshold, with Nevada's applying to employees under a wage cutoff. Colorado uses a 12-hour threshold. Everywhere else follows the federal 40-hour workweek rule alone.
What is California's seventh-day rule?: If you work all seven days in a single workweek, every hour of that seventh day is overtime — 1.5 times your rate for the first eight hours and double time beyond that. It applies regardless of how many hours you worked earlier in the week.
Can my employer average my hours across two weeks to avoid overtime?: No. Overtime is calculated per workweek. An employer cannot offset a 50-hour week against a 30-hour week to average out at 40, even if you are paid biweekly.
Am I exempt from overtime if I am paid a salary?: Being salaried does not by itself make you exempt. Exemption depends on your actual duties and on your salary clearing a federal threshold, and misclassification is common. If you are salaried but your work is largely routine or non-supervisory, it is worth checking.