Overtime Pay Calculator
Work out your gross overtime pay and an estimated take-home for extra hours worked.
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Understanding overtime pay
What this calculator covers and how the numbers are worked out
How it works
This tool takes your normal hourly rate, the number of overtime hours you've worked and the multiplier your employer applies, and turns it into a gross overtime figure plus a rough estimate of what you'd actually take home. It's aimed at anyone paid hourly or with a contracted rate who wants to check a payslip or plan around extra shifts before they're worked.
A common misunderstanding is that UK law guarantees a higher rate for overtime. It doesn't. There's no statutory requirement for employers to pay any premium at all for hours worked beyond your normal contracted hours, it's entirely down to what's written in your employment contract or a collective agreement. Some employers pay nothing extra for overtime, just your normal rate; others offer enhanced multipliers as a matter of policy or negotiation.
Where a premium is paid, it's usually expressed as a multiplier of your normal hourly rate. Time and a quarter means ×1.25, time and a half means ×1.5, and double time means ×2. So if your normal rate is £16 an hour, time and a half pays £24 an hour for those overtime hours, and double time pays £32 an hour.
Here's a worked example. Say your normal hourly rate is £15, and one week you work 5 hours of overtime at time and a half. Your gross overtime pay is £15 × 1.5 × 5 hours = £112.50. This calculator's take-home estimate applies a simplified flat deduction of roughly 20% tax and 8% National Insurance, about 28% total, which for a basic-rate taxpayer leaves an estimated £81.00 in your pocket from that overtime.
It's important to understand that this 28% figure is a simplification, not a precise calculation. Your actual payslip works out tax and National Insurance on your total pay for that period, not each part of your pay separately, so the real deduction on your overtime depends on where the rest of your earnings sit relative to the tax bands.
This matters most if overtime pushes your total income for the year above £50,270. Once that happens, the portion of pay above the threshold is taxed at 40% instead of 20%, and National Insurance drops to 2% instead of 8% on that same portion, giving a combined marginal rate of 42% rather than the 28% this calculator assumes. In other words, if overtime tips you into higher-rate tax, the real-world deduction on that extra pay will be noticeably bigger than the estimate shown here.
Because pay structures vary so much between employers, sectors and union agreements, always treat the multiplier and take-home figures here as a planning estimate. Your contract, payslip and tax code are the final word on what you're actually paid and what's deducted.
It's also worth checking your contract for how overtime is defined in the first place. Some employers only pay an enhanced rate once you go beyond your contracted weekly hours, while others enhance pay for specific situations regardless of your weekly total, such as working a bank holiday, a night shift, or a Sunday. Two people doing the same number of extra hours can end up with quite different overtime pay depending on which of these rules their employer applies.
What this calculator covers
- Gross overtime at any multiplier
- Time and a quarter, half, double and double-and-a-half
- Estimated take-home after tax and NI
- Compares your rate to double time
Common questions
No. There's no UK law requiring an enhanced rate for overtime; it's entirely down to your employment contract or any collective agreement your employer follows.
It means your normal hourly rate multiplied by 1.5. On a £14 hourly rate, time and a half pays £21 an hour for those overtime hours.
It applies a simplified flat 20% income tax and 8% National Insurance, roughly 28% total, which is a reasonable approximation for a basic-rate taxpayer but not an exact payslip calculation.
It can, if your combined regular pay and overtime for the year takes you above £50,270. Only the portion above that threshold is taxed at the higher 40% rate, not your whole income.
On the portion above £50,270 you'd pay 40% tax plus 2% National Insurance, a combined 42%, compared with the roughly 28% this calculator assumes for a basic-rate taxpayer.
Yes, as long as your contract doesn't promise one, though your total pay for the hours worked must still meet at least the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage.
It varies a lot by employer, industry and sometimes by when the work happens, such as bank holidays or nights. There's no standard rate, so check your contract or staff handbook for what applies to you.
No, it uses a flat simplified assumption for a basic-rate UK taxpayer. For a more precise take-home figure including your region and any student loan plan, use the main Salary Calculator with your total annual pay.
More tools
- Take-home pay – full income tax and NI breakdown
- Hourly to yearly – convert an hourly wage
- Salary to hourly – find your hourly rate
- GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
- GOV.UK: Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances
These results are estimates for general guidance and are not financial advice. Always confirm important figures with an official source.
Rates last reviewed: 2 October 2026 · Built around the 2026/27 UK tax year
Based on 2026/27 UK tax rates. Results are estimates and not financial advice.
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