Definition: Double time is premium pay at two times an employee’s regular rate of pay, typically for very long workdays, consecutive days, or holidays. The FLSA has no double-time requirement; it is required only by some state laws, collective bargaining agreements, or company policy.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
Most hourly employees know time and a half: 1.5 times the regular rate for overtime. Double time goes further, paying 2 times the regular rate. An employee earning $20.00 an hour earns $40.00 for each double-time hour. Employers use double time to compensate for especially demanding hours, such as very long shifts, a seventh straight day of work, or major holidays, and in some places the law requires it.
The DOL’s FLSA questions and answers state plainly: “The FLSA has no requirement for double time pay.” The federal standard in DOL Fact Sheet #23 is overtime at not less than time and one-half the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The FLSA also does not require extra pay for weekend or holiday work as such; the DOL’s weekend work page says extra pay for weekends is generally a matter of agreement between employer and employee.
Federal rules do matter when an employer pays double time voluntarily or by contract. DOL Fact Sheet #56A explains that premiums paid for hours over 8 in a day, over 40 in a week, or beyond normal hours may be excluded from the regular rate and may be credited toward overtime owed under the FLSA. Premiums for weekends, holidays, rest days, or the sixth or seventh workday are excludable and may be creditable when the premium rate is at least one and one-half times the rate for like nonovertime work. A double-time premium meets that 1.5x threshold.
California is the best-known example. According to the California Labor Commissioner’s overtime FAQ:
The same page notes that alternative workweek schedules are handled differently under most wage orders. Other states and many union contracts have their own rules. If you have employees outside California, check each state’s requirements and any applicable labor agreement.
Hypothetical (California): A warehouse lead earns $24.00 an hour and works a 14-hour shift on Wednesday during peak season. It is not her seventh consecutive day, and she works no other overtime that week.
| Hours on Wednesday | Rate | Calculation | Pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| First 8 hours | Regular ($24.00) | 8 × $24.00 | $192.00 |
| Hours 9–12 (4 hours) | 1.5x ($36.00) | 4 × $36.00 | $144.00 |
| Hours 13–14 (2 hours) | 2x ($48.00) | 2 × $48.00 | $96.00 |
| Total for the day | $432.00 |
Under federal law alone, the same 14 hours would earn straight time ($336.00) unless they pushed the week over 40 hours. The difference shows why multi-state employers need state-specific rules in their payroll setup. When daily and weekly thresholds both apply, confirm under the state’s rules how daily premium hours count toward the weekly total so hours are neither missed nor paid twice. Use the overtime calculator to check weekly overtime.
Even where it is not required, some employers offer double time as an incentive, commonly for:
If you offer double time by policy, write down exactly which hours qualify, whether it stacks with other premiums, and whether it applies to part-time and temporary staff. Because the regular rate is the base for overtime, also confirm whether shift differentials or other pay are included in the rate that gets doubled; see regular rate of pay.
| Time and a half | Double time | |
|---|---|---|
| Multiplier | 1.5x regular rate | 2x regular rate |
| Federal requirement | Hours over 40 in a workweek | None |
| Typical triggers | Weekly hours over 40; state daily thresholds | Very long days, seventh consecutive day, holidays, contracts |
| Example at $20/hour | $30.00 per hour | $40.00 per hour |
Double time is expensive, so it is worth managing deliberately. Look at which shifts generate the most premium hours and why. Often a handful of roles or locations produce most of the cost because of thin staffing or long single-person shifts. Splitting a 14-hour coverage need into two overlapping shifts, cross-training a backup, or posting open shifts earlier can eliminate double-time hours without cutting service. When double time is a deliberate incentive, such as for holidays, budget for it in advance rather than treating it as a surprise.
A clear written policy also helps with fairness. When double-time shifts are offered first to the same few employees, others notice. Rotating premium opportunities, or offering them through an open-shift process, keeps the incentive from becoming a source of friction.
EZTime helps you see premium hours before they happen. Overtime and break alerts notify managers as employees approach thresholds, AI shift scheduling and shift templates help spread long coverage across more people, and shift swaps with approval keep coverage flexible. Actual hours come from the GPS mobile time clock with geofencing, NFC tags, tablet kiosk, or biometric clocks, timecard corrections keep an audit trail, and payroll-ready Excel/PDF exports send detailed hours to any payroll software. See the scheduling software and pricing, from $2/employee/month with a 14-day trial.
This is general information, not legal advice.
No. The DOL states that the FLSA has no requirement for double time pay. Federal law requires time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek.
According to the California Labor Commissioner, double time is owed for hours beyond 12 in a workday and for hours over 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work in a workweek.
Not under federal law. The DOL says the FLSA does not require extra pay for weekend or holiday work as such. Some employers and union contracts offer it.
Multiply the employee’s regular rate of pay by 2, then by the number of double-time hours. At a $22.00 regular rate, 3 double-time hours equal 3 x $44.00 = $132.00.