How is overtime calculated on biweekly pay?
Why two weeks on one paycheck still need separate overtime calculations, with a 50-hour and 30-hour example.
By Pay in View · Sources checked · Federal-method explanation
Two weeks on one check are still two workweeks.
Under the standard federal weekly method, hours are not averaged across two weeks. Workweek boundaries come from the employer’s fixed schedule, not the date the paycheck arrives.
Week 1: $1,000 straight time + $100 premium = $1,100. Week 2: $600 straight time, no premium. Total: $1,700, with 10 overtime hours.
Averaging those hours into two 40-hour weeks would give $1,600 and omit the first week’s $100 premium.
Try it with your hours
Open the calculator, select Biweekly, enter each complete workweek, and confirm the scope. Do not split a week according to the payday. If the pay period cuts across fixed workweeks, gather the complete weeks before using this tool.
Open the overtime calculator →Basis: DOL Fact Sheet 23. Source checked 2026-10-22. State and special-arrangement rules are not included.