Biweekly Overtime Calculator
Standard Formula
Under FLSA rules, each week of a biweekly pay period is evaluated independently (cannot average 80 hours).
CRITICAL FLSA LAW: Overtime must be calculated separately for each 7-day workweek; employers cannot average hours over two weeks.
How Biweekly Overtime Calculator Works?
The Biweekly Overtime Calculator works by calculating overtime separately for each of the 2 workweeks in a biweekly pay period, then adding the results. The tool never averages 80 hours.
1Enter the hourly rate
Type the base wage, $25.00 by default.
2Enter Week 1 hours
Add total hours worked in the first workweek, 48 by default.
3Enter Week 2 hours
Add total hours in the second workweek, 36 by default.
4Read biweekly gross
Week 1 pays $1,300.00 with 8 overtime hours and Week 2 pays $900.00, for $2,200.00 gross.
Biweekly Overtime Calculator Formula
The Biweekly Overtime Calculator formula is Biweekly Gross = Week 1 Pay + Week 2 Pay, with overtime computed per workweek.
Weekly overtime
OT Hours (week) = Max(0, Week Hours − 40)
Weekly pay
Week Pay = Min(Week Hours, 40) × Rate + OT Hours × Rate × 1.5
Biweekly gross
Gross = Week 1 Pay + Week 2 Pay
- Week Hours
- Hours worked inside one fixed 7-day workweek.
- 40
- The FLSA weekly overtime threshold.
- Gross
- Total pay for the 14-day period.
Worked example: why averaging fails
Week 1 = 50 hours. Week 2 = 30 hours. Total = 80 hours. Rate = $20.00.
Correct: Week 1 = $800.00 + $300.00 = $1,100.00. Week 2 = $600.00. Gross = $1,700.00.
Averaging 80 hours would pay $1,600.00 and underpay $100.00 of overtime.
Biweekly Overtime Calculator Conversion Table
The Biweekly Overtime Calculator conversion table shows 7 two-week hour splits at $25.00 per hour and the overtime lost by averaging.
| Week 1 / Week 2 Hours | Overtime Hours | Correct Gross | Averaged Gross (wrong) | Underpayment if Averaged |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 / 40 | 0 hrs | $2,000.00 | $2,000.00 | $0.00 |
| 45 / 35 | 5 hrs | $2,062.50 | $2,000.00 | $62.50 |
| 48 / 36 | 8 hrs | $2,200.00 | $2,150.00 | $50.00 |
| 50 / 30 | 10 hrs | $2,125.00 | $2,000.00 | $125.00 |
| 44 / 44 | 8 hrs | $2,300.00 | $2,300.00 | $0.00 |
| 55 / 25 | 15 hrs | $2,187.50 | $2,000.00 | $187.50 |
| 60 / 20 | 20 hrs | $2,250.00 | $2,000.00 | $250.00 |
What is Biweekly Overtime Calculator?
A Biweekly Overtime Calculator is a payroll tool that applies the 40-hour overtime rule to each week of a 2-week pay period on its own.
Under 29 CFR § 778.104, each workweek stands alone. An employer cannot offset a 50-hour week with a 30-hour week, even when both fall in the same paycheck. Biweekly payroll (26 paychecks per year) is the most common US pay frequency.
Hospitals and residential care facilities can use the 8-and-80 system under FLSA Section 7(j), which measures overtime over a 14-day period. The 8-and-80 system needs an agreement with the employee before the work starts and pays overtime for hours over 8 in a day as well as hours over 80 in the period.
What are the uses of Biweekly Overtime Calculator?
There are 4 main uses of the Biweekly Overtime Calculator.
Paycheck checks
Workers confirm that overtime from a heavy week was not erased by a light week.
Payroll setup
Administrators test that the payroll system computes overtime per workweek.
Wage claims
Employees document averaging errors for a Department of Labor (DOL) complaint.
Schedule balancing
Managers see that moving hours between weeks changes overtime cost.