Overtime in Kentucky
In Kentucky, overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. If you work all seven days of a workweek that goes over 40 hours, the seventh day is also paid at 1.5 times.
Rules checked against the US Department of Labor and official Kentucky sources. Free and private: nothing you enter leaves your device.
Your pay this week, before tax
$1,025.00
You worked 47.5 hours in Kentucky, including 7.5 hours of overtime. Overtime adds $75.00 on top of your straight-time pay.
| Pay | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40 h | $20.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime1.5 times your rate | 7.5 h | $30.00 | $225.00 |
| Total | 47.5 h | $1,025.00 |
47.5 hours worked. An estimate under federal and Kentucky law, before taxes. Not legal advice.
Overtime rules in Kentucky
- Weekly: 1.5 times your rate after 40 hours in a workweek.
- Seventh day: if you work all seven days of the workweek, the hours on the seventh day are paid at 1.5 times. This does not apply in a week where you are not allowed to work more than 40 hours.
- Overtime already paid for the same hours counts toward the seventh-day pay, so no hour is paid twice.
- Retail store, restaurant, hotel and motel workers are exempt from Kentucky's 40-hour rule, but federal overtime still covers most of them.
- Supervisors whose main job is directing other workers are not covered by the seventh-day rule.
Kentucky's seventh-day rule dates from 1974 and is one of only two in the country for most private jobs. California has the other.
Overtime pay at common rates in Kentucky
| Hourly rate | Overtime rate | 45-hour week | 50-hour week |
|---|---|---|---|
| $20 an hour | $30.00 | $950.00 | $1,100.00 |
| $25 an hour | $37.50 | $1,187.50 | $1,375.00 |
| $30 an hour | $45.00 | $1,425.00 | $1,650.00 |
How the calculator works
- Each shift's hours are its end time minus its start time, minus your unpaid break. A shift that ends after midnight counts on the day it started. If your employer's workday starts at another time, your result can differ a little.
- Daily overtime and double time come first, where your state has them, then any seventh-day or premium-day rule.
- Weekly overtime counts only the hours not already paid at a premium. So no hour is paid twice, and you always get the greater of daily or weekly overtime.
- With two rates or a bonus, overtime is based on your regular rate for the week: all your pay divided by all your hours, as federal rules require.
The result is pay before taxes. It is an estimate of what the law requires, not legal advice. A union contract or your employer's policy can pay more.
Who does not get overtime
- Most salaried office, management and professional jobs are exempt from overtime if they pay a salary of at least $684 a week ($35,568 a year) and the job duties meet the federal tests. Being paid a salary alone does not make you exempt.
- In 2024 the Department of Labor raised that salary level, but a federal court in Texas struck the rule down on November 15, 2024. On May 15, 2026 the Department formally put the $684 level back in its rules. The highly paid employee level is $107,432 a year.
- Some states set a higher salary level or stricter tests than federal law, so check your state's rules if you are on a salary.
- Other common exemptions include outside sales jobs, some computer jobs, many farm jobs, and some workers at seasonal amusement businesses. Independent contractors are not covered, but being called a contractor does not decide it.
- Hourly workers almost always get overtime, whatever their job title.
Common questions
When does overtime start in Kentucky?
In Kentucky, overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. If you work all seven days of a workweek that goes over 40 hours, the seventh day is also paid at 1.5 times.
Does Kentucky have daily overtime?
No. Kentucky only has weekly overtime, so a 10-hour day is paid at your regular rate unless your week goes over 40 hours.
How much is overtime on $20 an hour in Kentucky?
$30.00 an hour, 1.5 times $20. A 45-hour week with 5 overtime hours pays $950.00 before tax: $800.00 for the first 40 hours and $150.00 for the overtime.
Does Kentucky require holiday or weekend pay?
No. Neither federal law nor Kentucky law requires extra pay for holidays or weekends, apart from the seventh-day rule. Your employer may pay more by policy or contract.
Sources
Official federal and state pages and laws, checked . Laws change, so confirm details on the source before you act.
- Kentucky Revised Statutes 337.050 (seventh day)
- Kentucky Revised Statutes 337.285 (40 hours) (effective April 5, 2024)
- US Department of Labor: State labor laws table (minimum wage and overtime) (updated November 5, 2026)
- US Department of Labor: Overtime pay
- 29 CFR 778.110: Hourly rate employee (worked examples)
- 29 CFR 778.115: Employees working at two or more rates
- 29 CFR 778.203 and 778.219: Premium pay for Sundays and holidays
- US Department of Labor: Holidays
- US Department of Labor Fact Sheet #14: Coverage under the FLSA (revised July 2009)
- Federal Register, 91 FR 27833: White-collar exemptions after the courts vacated the 2024 rule (May 15, 2026)