When does double-time start in California?
In California, non-exempt employees earn double their regular rate after 12 hours in a single workday, and for every hour past 8 on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek. Below that, hours over 8 in a day or 40 in a week are paid at 1.5×. California counts overtime daily, not just weekly.
The daily rule is what surprises most employers moving from another state. An employee who works 13 hours on Monday and nothing else that week has earned 8 hours at straight time, 4 at time-and-a-half, and 1 at double-time — even though the week totalled 13 hours.
The seventh-day rule stacks on top: when someone works all seven days of a single workweek, the first 8 hours of that seventh day are paid at 1.5× and everything beyond 8 at 2×.
A "workday" is a fixed 24-hour period the employer designates, and a "workweek" is seven consecutive 24-hour periods. Shifting either one to avoid overtime is not permitted.
Sources
Last reviewed 2026-08-07. Informational only — not legal advice. California rules change; confirm against the current source before acting.
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