How to read overtime on a weekly time card

Daily hours first

A time card is a list of start times, end times, and unpaid breaks. For each day, worked minutes = (end − start) − break. Convert minutes to hours for the weekly total. The Hours Calculator handles a single day. The Time Card Calculator repeats that for a full week or two weeks.

Weekly overtime threshold

Many workplaces treat hours over 40 in a week as overtime. Some use daily overtime rules instead or as well. MeretAI’s time card tool uses a weekly threshold you can set, with overtime pay as a multiplier of the hourly rate (commonly 1.5). It does not encode every local statute. Check your employer policy and local law.

Two-week pay periods

Some employers pay every two weeks but still compute overtime per week. The time card’s two-week mode keeps week 1 and week 2 separate for overtime, then sums pay. That matches a common payroll pattern where 46 hours in week 1 and 42 in week 2 are not the same as 44 and 44.

Worked example

Monday to Friday 8:00 to 17:00 with a 30-minute lunch is 8.5 hours each day, or 42.5 hours before Saturday. Add Saturday 9:00 to 13:00 (4 hours) and the week is 46.5 hours. At a $18 hourly rate with overtime after 40 at 1.5×, regular pay is 40 × 18 = $720 and overtime is 6.5 × 27 = $175.50, for $895.50 gross before taxes.

What the tool does not do

It does not subtract taxes, shift differentials, tips, or salaried expectations. It does not know unpaid meal rules beyond the break minutes you enter. Use it to check the hours math, then compare with your payslip.

Related time tools

Use the Time Calculator to add raw hour segments, and the Business Days Calculator when you need working days between two dates rather than clock hours.

Checklist before you buy or rely on the number

Write down the raw inputs you used, including units. Re-run the calculator once with those exact figures. If a store pack size or a syllabus rule forces a round-up, round up rather than chasing a perfect match. Keep a note of the date you calculated so you can compare later when prices, labels, or grades change.

A note on units

Keep units consistent inside one calculation. Mixing feet with metres, or cups with grams without a density, is the usual source of bad results. When a label uses a different unit, convert once with the Unit Converter and then return to the specialty calculator.

Limits

These figures are planning aids. Confirm product labels, syllabus rules, employer policy, or veterinary advice when a decision depends on the number.