The formula
Overtime is the difference between the time you actually worked and your agreed working time (target) for the same period: overtime = actual minus target. If the result is negative, you’re hours short.
Your target comes from your employment contract or collective agreement, for example 40 hours a week for a full-time job or 20 hours for a part-time job.
Subtract breaks first
Breaks are usually not counted as working time, so subtract them from the time you were at work before you calculate.
Example: you work from 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and take a 45-minute break. You were at work for 9 h 15 min and worked 8 h 30 min. With a target of 8 hours that’s 30 minutes of overtime.
Example for a whole week
Your target is 40 hours, spread over five days of 8 hours. Here’s your week (working time without breaks):
| Day | Worked | Target | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8 h 30 min | 8 h | +30 min |
| Tuesday | 9 h 15 min | 8 h | +1 h 15 min |
| Wednesday | 8 h | 8 h | 0 |
| Thursday | 7 h 45 min | 8 h | −15 min |
| Friday | 9 h | 8 h | +1 h |
| Week | 42 h 30 min | 40 h | +2 h 30 min |
Vacation, sick days and public holidays
On vacation, sick days and public holidays you don’t work – but that shouldn’t create hours short. How these days count towards your target depends on your contract and company rules; usually the target for that day is dropped or counts as met.
Is overtime paid?
Whether overtime is paid, taken as time off or already covered by your salary depends on your contract, collective agreement and the law where you work. Rules differ from country to country – and in some countries from state to state. Legal definitions of overtime, for example weekly thresholds, also vary.