FreshStaff
Free Tool

Blended-Rate Overtime Calculator

One worker, two pay rates, over 40 hours? Get the FLSA weighted-average rate and the overtime premium you actually owe.

Blended-Rate Overtime

Two pay rates in one week? Overtime is owed at 1.5× the weighted-average rate, not the higher rate.

$
$

Blended Regular Rate

$19.33/hr

45 total hrs · 5 OT

Total Gross Pay

$918.33

incl. $48.33 OT premium

Straight-time pay$870.00
OT hours (over 40)5
OT premium (0.5 × blended × OT)$48.33

Federal FLSA method. Some states (e.g. California) use different daily-overtime rules. FreshStaff's timekeeping and native payroll apply the correct blended rate automatically. Estimate only.

How to Calculate Blended-Rate Overtime

A common payroll mistake is paying overtime at whichever rate the worker happened to be on for the OT hours. The FLSA instead requires a weighted average of every rate worked that week.

Blended Rate = Total Straight-Time Pay ÷ Total HoursOT Premium = 0.5 × Blended Rate × Hours Over 40

FreshStaff's time tracking and native payroll apply the correct blended rate automatically when a worker logs multiple rates, so the check is right without hand math.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is blended-rate (weighted-average) overtime?

When a nonexempt worker performs two or more jobs at different pay rates in the same workweek, the FLSA requires overtime to be paid at 1.5 times the weighted-average of those rates, called the blended or regular rate, not simply the higher rate.

How do you calculate weighted-average overtime?

Add up all straight-time pay for the week and divide by total hours to get the blended regular rate. The overtime premium is then 0.5 × blended rate × hours over 40, added on top of straight-time pay.

Do all states follow this method?

The blended-rate method is federal (FLSA) and applies to weekly overtime over 40 hours. Some states, such as California, add daily-overtime rules that can produce a different result, so check your state's requirements.

Let Payroll Do the Blended Math

Multi-rate timecards flow into correct gross-to-net pay automatically, at $0 recruiter seats.