Taking care of employee payroll involves understanding industry jargon. Time and a half is one such term that every HR manager must know. It is a term related to an overtime pay structure typically applicable for hours extra than the 40-hour week or for working on holidays.
Globally, the standard overtime pay rate is time and a half of the regular hour wage. But what is time and a half pay?
This post will discuss the basics of time and a half pay, when it is applicable, and how to calculate it.
Table of Contents
What is Time and a Half Pay?
Time and a half is an overtime pay rate which is paid as the extra compensation to the employees for working ‘additional hours.’ The definition of additional hours differs from the conventional 40 hours a week.
Companies can also offer overtime time and a half for certain circumstances, for instance, working on holidays or taking up a late shift. In this case, you’re eligible for time and a half holiday pay.
The time-and-a-half rate pays workers 50% more than their regular hourly rate. Still, this premium pay is the appropriate reward for working extra time or covering unwanted shifts. This saves employers money as they don’t have to spend extra on hiring additional workers.
However, only some employees are eligible for time and a half pay; specific rules under FSLA labor laws bring the concept of exempt and nonexempt employees.
Who qualifies for time and a half pay?
HR must understand which employees qualify for a time and a half pay. As per the FLSA guidelines, all hourly and nonexempt employees must receive overtime compensation for the extra hours worked outside the defined 40-hour workweek.
Failing to comply with overtime requirements can have consequences such as lawsuits and fines, or you might have to back your employees in addition to damages and legal fees. So let’s understand who are exempt and nonexempt employees.
Exempt are not eligible for overtime pay or covered by the FLSA. An exempt worker is a salaried employee who gets monthly or annual pay rather than hourly rates. Such employees get a yearly pay of at least $35,568.
Exempt employees often serve in higher position roles in management, administration, executive, IT, etc. Furthermore, some hourly employees can also be considered exempt from the FLSA, such as food industry truck drivers and film employees.
Nonexempt employees are included in the FLSA and must be paid time and a half for the overtime hours. All hourly employees are nonexempt unless they are employed in the abovementioned roles. These employees have annual pay below $35,568 and are usually in mid or low-level roles.
Therefore, your time and a half calculator must consider the employee type when determining who is eligible for overtime pay. Your company’s time-and-a-half compensation policy must follow the FLSA legal framework.
Also, some states have additional overtime laws apart from federal labor laws that you must consider if you are located in these states. For example, states like California and Alaska require nonexempt employees to be paid daily rather than weekly overtime. Also, in these states, employers must pay time and a half overtime for every hour above the standard 8 hours per day.
How to calculate Time and A half pay for hourly employees?
Understanding how to calculate time and a half pay for hourly and salaried employees is essential for accurate payroll.
Step 1: Calculate the standard hourly rate of pay
Begin by calculating the standard hourly rate of pay for the employees based on their regular hourly wage. The regular wage is the base rate for the time and a half-calculator. For example, if you pay workers $10 hourly, then it is their base rate.
Step 2: Multiply the standard rate by 1.5
The next step is to determine the time and a-half rate. The calculation is simple; you multiply the base salary rate by 1.5 to get overtime pay. This is the rate that nonexempt employees must get for the extra hours.
For example, a worker earning $10 per hour will be paid time and a half rate based on this formula:
Time and a half pay= $10 × 1.5 = $15 per hour
Step 3: Calculate overtime wages
Now you will calculate the total overtime wages earned during the pay period. For this calculation, you must multiply the overtime hours by the time and the half-pay rate you calculated in Step 2.
If the employee working for 10 overtime hours, their overtime wage will be:
Overtime wages= Number of overtime hours × time and a half rate
Overtime wages = 10 hours × $15 = $150
Step 4: Total pay calculation
For the total pay, you must calculate the wages earned from regular hours and those earned from overtime hours. If the employee worked 40 regular hours (non-overtime):
Total Pay = (Standard Hourly Rate × Regular Hours) + Overtime Wages
Total Pay = ($10 × 40 hours) + $150 = $400 + $150 = $550
“Get centralized and foolproof Time & Attendance for your organization”
Book a Free Demo Now
Overtime for salaried employees
Some salaried employees are also entitled to overtime pay time. If their salary falls short of the required $35,568, they are entitled to time and a half pay.
Suppose you pay salaried employees $15 per hour, so their standard annual pay will be $31,200 per year, making them nonexempt under FLSA.
Let’s take this example.
A salaried employee works 55 hours a week at $15 per hour. It makes them nonexempt, and they must be paid time and a half for the 15 overtime hours.
Step 1. Calculate the per-hour rate
As their annual pay is $31,200, their monthly pay will be:
$31,200 / 52 weeks =$600
Now to convert monthly pay to hourly rate:
$600 / 40 hours = $15.
Step 2. Calculate time and a half pay rate
We will use the same equation as above for this calculation.
Time and a half pay rate = $15 x 1.5
=$22.50
Step 3. Calculate total overtime wages
Considering the $22.50 per overtime hour rate and the number of hours worked:
Total overtime wages = $22.50 x 15 hours = $337.50
Step 4. Calculate the total pay
We add regular week wages and overtime weekly wages to calculate the total pay for the week.
Total wages= $600 + $337.50 = $937.50
Please find below the mostly commonly asked time and half calculations.
| Time and Half Calculations | Hourly Rate | Time and Half Rate |
| Time and Half for $20 an Hour | $20 | $30 |
| Time and Half for $16 an Hour | $16 | $24 |
| Time and Half for $12 an Hour | $12 | $18 |
Conclusion
Time and a half pay is an essential concept for businesses. We hope this guide has highlighted the time and a half pay and how it is calculated for salaried and nonexempt employees.
An essential aspect of these calculations is the accurate tracking of hours worked. Truein, an AI-based face recognition attendance and time tracking solution, can be an excellent solution. It can accurately record regular hours, overtime hours, and leaves which can be fed directly into the payroll system for salary calculations.
FAQs
1. When do time and half pay apply?
Time and a half pay typically applies to overtime hours an employee works. Overtime hours are usually extra hours outside the 40 hours a week. Time and a half pay means you pay employees one and a half times their regular hourly wage for each overtime hour.
However, time and a half pay can also be applied for working on holidays and certain circumstances like taking unwanted shifts.
However, time and a half pay can also be applied for working on holidays and certain circumstances like taking unwanted shifts.
2. Which holidays are eligible for time and a half pay?
There are no federal laws regarding the list of holidays eligible for time and a half pay. It entirely depends on the local labor laws and company policies. However, in most cases, major public holidays such as New Year’s Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas are eligible for overtime pay.
3. What is the difference between exempt and non exempt employee?
The basic and most important difference between exempt and non exempt employees is that non-exempt workers are entitled to certain benefits and protections under the Fair Law Standards Act (FLSA). It is a law that defines laws related to minimum wage and overtime pay.
