How to Calculate Overtime Hours: A Simple Step-by-Step Formula

Overtime is money you earned, but it only shows up correctly if you calculate it yourself. Most people never do, and that is how a shortfall goes unnoticed for months. The maths is not complicated — you need two numbers: your total hours for the week, and your basic contracted hours. The difference is your overtime.

Find your basic hours first

Everything depends on your baseline. If your standard week is 48 hours, that is the figure you subtract from. If you work shifts, multiply the scheduled hours per shift by the number of shifts and write the result down before you start calculating.

Also settle the break question once. If your meal break is not counted as working time, leave it out of your total — otherwise you create overtime hours you never actually worked.

The simple formula, step by step

• Note your start and finish time for each day.
• Add up the hours of each shift separately.
• Add the shifts together to get your weekly total.
• Subtract your basic hours: weekly total − basic hours = overtime hours.

That is the whole method. Do not work from memory — log your hours as you go. This is where Shiftat-E helps: the app is built around logging your shifts and hours and planning your leave, so your overtime starts from a record you can actually see.

A worked example in dinars

Say your basic salary is KWD 600 for a 48-hour week. Your hourly rate is roughly 600 ÷ (48 × 4.33) ≈ 2.9 dinars per hour. If your week came to 58 hours, your overtime is 58 − 48 = 10 hours, worth about 10 × 2.9 ≈ 29 dinars before any higher contractual rate. Run the same calculation next week and you get a consistent number you can defend in a conversation with HR.

Rest days and official holidays are different

Hours worked on your rest day or a public holiday are usually paid at a higher rate than ordinary overtime, so keep them on a separate line in your records. Before you assume a rate, check your contract or ask HR — the rules differ between the government and private sectors, and between companies. What matters is that you never blend them into one figure.

When to check your payslip

Within a few days of payday, while your hours are still fresh. Compare your calculated figure with the payslip, and if there is a clear gap, bring your hours log with you instead of arguing from memory. That quick review is what stops small differences from repeating month after month.

Start with one week: log your shifts, apply the formula, and see the number for yourself. With Shiftat-E your shift log, your hours and your leave plan sit in one place, so you can work out your overtime with confidence: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.q8dm.shiftate