Why overtime is calculated per week, not per pay period
Under the federal FLSA the overtime threshold applies to each workweek individually. Working 45 hours in week one and 35 in week two is 5 hours of overtime — the weeks don't average out to 40/40, even though the period total is the same 80 hours. That's exactly how this calculator totals a biweekly period, and it's the most common mistake in hand-calculated two-week timesheets.
Example: Week 1 = 45:00, week 2 = 35:00. Regular = 75:00, overtime = 5:00. At $20/hour: 75 × $20 + 5 × $30 = $1,650.00 gross.
Prefer clocking your lunch out and in precisely instead of entering break minutes? Use the time card calculator with lunch break. If your schedule repeats identically each week, you can also total one week in the weekly time card calculator and double it — but the moment the weeks differ, use this page so the overtime lands in the right week.