What Is a Blended Overtime Rate? (Two Pay Rates)
When you work two pay rates in one week, the FLSA bases overtime on a weighted average — the blended rate. How it is calculated, a worked example, why overtime is half the blended rate, and the free calculator.
Why a blended rate exists
When an employee works at two different pay rates in the same workweek, the employer cannot just pick the lower one for overtime. The FLSA requires overtime to be based on a weighted average of every rate worked that week — the "blended" or regular rate (29 CFR 778.115). The Blended Overtime Rate calculator works it out from the hours and rate of each job.
The calculation
Add the straight-time pay from each role, then divide by the total hours. Say you work 30 hours at $20 ($600) and 20 hours at $15 ($300): that is $900 over 50 hours, a blended rate of $18 an hour. The blended rate is the foundation everything else sits on.
Why overtime is only half the blended rate
You have already been paid straight time for all 50 hours, including the 10 over 40. The overtime premium adds the missing half — $9 an hour on those 10 hours, or $90 — so the overtime hours end up at 1.5× the blended rate in total. Straight time ($900) plus the $90 premium is $990 for the week. The calculator shows each piece.
When this comes up
Blended rates appear whenever pay varies within a week — two roles at one employer, a shift differential, or a non-discretionary bonus that has to be folded into the regular rate. If you only have one rate, the Overtime Pay calculator is simpler, and some states layer daily overtime rules on top of the federal weekly rule that can change the result.
Frequently asked questions
When you work two pay rates in one week, the FLSA bases overtime on a weighted average of those rates — the blended rate. It is the total straight-time pay divided by the total hours worked.
Add the pay from each job (hours × rate) and divide by total hours. 30 hours at $20 plus 20 hours at $15 is ($600 + $300) ÷ 50 = $18 an hour.
Straight time has already been paid on every hour, including the overtime hours, so the premium adds only the extra half. The overtime hours end up at 1.5× the blended rate in total.
Some states use the rate in effect when the overtime hours were worked, or add daily overtime, which can change the figure. This method is the federal floor — check your state rules.