British Columbia Overtime Calculator
The rule: 8 hrs/day at 1.5× · 12 hrs/day at 2× · 40 hrs/week at 1.5× at 1.5× regular pay.
Employment Standards Act, s. 40
Enter this week's hours
Rule: 8 hrs/day at 1.5× · 12 hrs/day at 2× · 40 hrs/week at 1.5× at 1.5× regular pay
Day-by-day required
British Columbia has a double-time rule after 12 hours in a single day, so accurate results require the hours broken down by day.
Weekly total: 40.00 hours
40.00 hours is within the 8 hrs/day at 1.5× · 12 hrs/day at 2× · 40 hrs/week at 1.5× limit.
⚠ Informational only — not legal advice
This calculator is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, accounting, or payroll advice. Always consult your provincial labour standards office or a qualified professional before making employment decisions. Hibiscus HR makes no warranty as to the accuracy of the results — see our Terms of Use for full details.
Done by hand? Hibiscus HR does this automatically.
Our Time & Attendance module flags overtime violations for every province in real time — including the daily rules in BC, Alberta, and the territories.
How overtime works in British Columbia
Under Employment Standards Act, s. 40, an employee in British Columbia is entitled to overtime pay of 1.5× their regular hourly rate for every hour worked beyond the threshold.
British Columbia is the only Canadian jurisdiction with a three-tier overtime structure:
- 1.5× regular pay for hours worked beyond 8 in a single day (up to 12).
- 2× regular pay (double time) for hours worked beyond 12 in a single day.
- 1.5× regular pay for weekly hours beyond 40 — but only the first 8 hours of each day count toward the weekly total, so hours that already earn daily overtime do not stack.
Because the double-time rule depends on how hours are distributed across the week, accurate results require day-by-day input in the calculator above.
Special rules & edge cases
- •BC is the only jurisdiction in Canada with a statutory double-time rule: hours beyond 12 in a single day are paid at 2× regular wage.
- •Only the first 8 hours of each day count toward the 40-hour weekly overtime threshold — hours already earning daily overtime do not stack.
- •This calculator requires day-by-day input because the double-time rule depends on how hours are distributed across the week.
Worked example
An employee earning $25/hour works Monday through Friday: 10, 10, 13, 8, 8 hours (49 total).
- Monday (10h): 8 regular + 2 @ 1.5×
- Tuesday (10h): 8 regular + 2 @ 1.5×
- Wednesday (13h): 8 regular + 4 @ 1.5× + 1 @ 2×
- Thursday (8h): 8 regular
- Friday (8h): 8 regular
Weekly check: the "first 8" of each day sums to 40 — no additional weekly overtime.
Result: 40 regular hours ($1,000) + 8 hours @ 1.5× ($300) + 1 hour @ 2× ($50) = $1,350 gross pay for 49 hours.
Run British Columbia payroll without the spreadsheet math.
Hibiscus HR applies British Columbia's overtime rules automatically on every pay run — including CPP, EI, and BC provincial tax at 2026 rates.