What Is Double Time?
Last updated June 11, 2026
Double time is a pay rate equal to twice your regular hourly rate. Federal law — the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) — does not require double time. It only comes from an employer's own policy, a union or collective-bargaining agreement, or specific state laws like California's.
What double time means
Double time is exactly what it sounds like: you earn 2× your regular hourly rate for certain hours. If your regular rate is $25 an hour, double time pays $50 an hour. It is the most generous of the common premium pay rates, sitting above time and a half (1.5×).
Employers most often apply double time to long shifts, holidays, or hours worked on a seventh straight day. But "most often" is doing a lot of work in that sentence, because whether you get double time at all depends entirely on rules outside of federal law.
The FLSA does not require double time
This is the part people get wrong, so it is worth stating plainly. The federal overtime rule under the FLSA caps out at time and a half. Non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5× their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. That is the federal ceiling — there is no federal requirement to ever pay 2×.
The FLSA also does not require any premium pay for working nights, weekends, or holidays by themselves. So if your employer pays double time for Christmas Day or a 14-hour shift, that is a choice they made or a rule they agreed to, not something Washington forced on them. You can confirm the federal overtime standard directly at the U.S. Department of Labor's overtime page.
Where double time actually comes from
Since federal law is silent on it, double time exists only when one of these creates it:
- Employer policy. A company can voluntarily pay double time — for example, for any hours past 12 in a single day, or for working a recognized holiday. Once it is written into a policy or handbook, the employer generally has to honor it.
- Union or collective-bargaining agreement. Many union contracts spell out double-time triggers, such as the seventh consecutive day worked or hours beyond a set daily limit.
- State law. A few states mandate double time in specific situations. California is the clearest example, and it is purely a state rule.
California: a state rule, not a federal one
California law requires double time in two daily situations, and this applies only in California — not nationwide:
- For all hours worked beyond 12 in a single workday.
- For all hours worked beyond 8 on the seventh consecutive day of work in a single workweek.
Most other states have no daily double-time requirement at all and follow the federal 40-hour, time-and-a-half standard. So you cannot assume the California rule applies where you work. Check your own state's labor agency and your employer's policy.
How to calculate double time
The math is simple: take your regular hourly rate and multiply by 2. Say your rate is $25/hr and your employer's policy pays double time for hours past 12 in a day. You work a 14-hour day:
- First 8 hours at the regular rate: 8 × $25 = $200.
- Hours 9–12 at time and a half: 4 × $37.50 = $150.
- Hours 13–14 at double time: 2 × $50 = $100.
- Total for the day: $450.
That layered structure — regular, then 1.5×, then 2× — is typical wherever daily double time applies.
Time and a half vs double time
The two are easy to mix up, so here is the core difference:
| Rate | Multiplier | Federally required? |
|---|---|---|
| Time and a half | 1.5× | Yes — over 40 hours/week |
| Double time | 2× | No — never required by the FLSA |
Time and a half is the federal floor for weekly overtime. Double time is always a bonus on top, created by a policy, contract, or state law.
Common questions
Is double time required by law?
Not by federal law. The FLSA never requires it. You only get double time if your employer's policy provides it, a union contract calls for it, or a state law (like California's) mandates it in a specific situation.
Does working a holiday earn double time?
Only if your employer or contract says so. The FLSA does not require any extra pay for holidays, weekends, or nights worked by themselves.
Can double time and overtime stack?
Generally an hour is paid at one premium rate, not both. In a daily-overtime state, hours move up the ladder — regular, then 1.5×, then 2× — but each hour counts once at its highest applicable rate.
Related tools and guides
- Overtime Pay Calculator — figure your overtime earnings, with an optional second tier for a double-time daily premium.
- Time Card Calculator — add up daily and weekly hours, then apply your pay rates.
- Federal Overtime Basics — how the FLSA's 40-hour, time-and-a-half rule actually works.