Overtime Back Pay Calculator
Calculate unpaid overtime wages owed to you under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), including potential liquidated damages.
Built for general U.S. informational use. Local rules, court practices, and case facts can change the result.
Overtime Back Pay Calculator
Fill in the fields below to get your estimate
How is Overtime Back Pay Calculated?
If you worked more than 40 hours in a single workweek and were not paid time-and-a-half (1.5x) for those extra hours, your employer may owe you back pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
The FLSA Overtime Formula
- Standard Time: First 40 hours = Regular Hourly Rate
- Overtime Time: Any hour over 40 = Regular Hourly Rate × 1.5
A unique feature of federal overtime law is the provision for Liquidated Damages. Unless the employer can prove their mistake was in absolute good faith, the court will award you double your unpaid wages. This calculator shows your total potential claim including these damages.
How this estimate works
This back-pay calculator estimates unpaid overtime from the regular rate, overtime hours, and lookback period. The regular rate may need adjustment for bonuses, commissions, shift differentials, or misclassification issues.
Inputs this page weighs
- Regular rate or pay structure.
- Overtime hours worked each week.
- Lookback period and pay frequency.
- Bonuses, commissions, or off-the-clock work.
How to verify the result
Check time records, pay stubs, exemption status, state-law lookback periods, and regular-rate rules.
How to use this Overtime Back Pay Calculator well
Best used when
- Estimating unpaid overtime when you know the extra hours worked.
- Checking whether the regular rate assumptions make sense before a wage claim.
- Organizing a wage-and-hour complaint around pay records and time gaps.
Be careful if
- Exemption status, bonuses, and off-the-clock practices can alter the regular rate.
- State lookback periods and penalty rules may be more favorable than the federal baseline.
- Weak timekeeping records can lead to a wide dispute over actual hours worked.
Questions to answer next
- Are you correctly classified as exempt or non-exempt under the job duties test?
- Do bonuses, shift differentials, or commissions belong in the regular-rate calculation?
- What records can prove the overtime hours if the employer disputes them?
Before you use an employment calculator
What to gather first
- Pay stubs, offer letters, time records, commission statements, and benefit summaries.
- Termination notices, performance reviews, written complaints, and HR responses when relevant.
- A clean timeline showing when hours were worked, when you were terminated, or when the dispute began.
Why results may change
- Exemptions, mitigation income, and employer policies can materially change the result.
- State waiting-time penalties, caps, and agency procedures vary more than many people expect.
- The strongest claims usually depend on documentation, not just the math in the calculator.
Best next step
- Cross-check every number against wage records before relying on the estimate.
- Write down dates, witnesses, and communications while they are still easy to remember.
- Consider a consultation with employment counsel or the relevant labor agency if deadlines are short.