Holiday Pay Calculator
Calculate holiday pay from hours worked, base rate, and a holiday multiplier (time-and-a-half or double time), showing the premium over regular wages. Runs in your browser.
Common: 1.5× (time-and-a-half) or 2× (double time).
Holiday pay = hours × base rate × multiplier. Time-and-a-half (1.5×) and double time (2×) are the most common premiums. In the US, holiday premium pay is generally not federally required — it is set by employer policy or contract (federal law mandates overtime, not holiday pay). The premium row shows the extra over normal wages. This is gross pay before taxes. Educational; everything runs in your browser.
About this tool
Holiday pay is premium compensation for working on a recognized holiday, and this calculator works out what you'll earn from three inputs: the hours worked, your base hourly rate, and the holiday pay multiplier. The multiplier reflects your employer's policy — the two most common are time-and-a-half (1.5×) and double time (2.0×), though some employers pay the regular rate plus a flat bonus or offer a paid day off instead. The math is straightforward: holiday pay equals hours × base rate × multiplier, so eight hours at a $20 base on a double-time holiday is $320. The tool also breaks out the holiday hourly rate, what those hours would have paid at the normal rate, and the premium — the extra money you earn specifically because it's a holiday — which makes it easy to see the value of the policy. An important point that surprises many people: in the United States there is no federal law requiring private employers to pay extra for holiday work (or to provide paid holidays off at all). The Fair Labor Standards Act mandates overtime for hours over 40 in a week, but holiday premium pay is entirely a matter of employer policy, employment contract, or collective bargaining agreement — which is why the multiplier here is adjustable rather than fixed. Government employees and unionized workers more often have guaranteed holiday premiums. Note also that holiday hours can interact with overtime: if working the holiday pushes you over 40 hours in the week, overtime rules may also apply, and how holiday and overtime premiums stack depends on employer policy. The figure shown is gross pay before taxes. Use it to check a paycheck or understand what a holiday shift is worth. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Enter the hours you worked on the holiday.
- Enter your base hourly rate.
- Set the holiday multiplier — 1.5 for time-and-a-half, 2 for double time, or your employer's policy.
- Read the total holiday pay and the premium over regular wages.
Frequently asked questions
- How is holiday pay calculated?
- Holiday pay = hours × base rate × multiplier. For 8 hours at $20 with a 1.5× (time-and-a-half) multiplier, that is 8 × 20 × 1.5 = $240. Double time (2×) would be $320.
- Is holiday pay required by law?
- In the US, no — there is no federal requirement for private employers to pay a holiday premium or provide paid holidays. It is set by employer policy, contract, or union agreement. Some states and public-sector roles differ.
- What is the difference between time-and-a-half and double time?
- Time-and-a-half pays 1.5× your base rate; double time pays 2×. Which one (if any) applies to a holiday depends entirely on your employer's policy.
- Does holiday pay count toward overtime?
- It can interact with it. If holiday hours push your weekly total over 40, overtime may also apply, and whether the premiums stack depends on employer policy and how the regular rate is defined.
- Is the result before or after taxes?
- Before. The amount shown is gross holiday pay; payroll taxes and other withholdings are deducted separately.
- Is anything uploaded?
- No. All calculations run entirely in your browser.