GUIDE — OVERTIME
Most people assume overtime is paid at time-and-a-half and that it is a legal right to be\n paid at all. Neither is true in general. The rate (if any), the time it kicks in, and how it\n stacks with nights and weekends all come from your contract.
There is no automatic legal right to be paid overtime. Your contract or your\n employer's policy sets whether you are paid for working beyond your normal hours, and at what\n rate. What the law does require is the National Minimum Wage as a minimum\n across all hours worked, and rest breaks — see\n the shift pay rules guide.
In practice most employers do pay something, most commonly\n time-and-a-half (1.5× the hourly rate) once you pass a threshold\n (daily, weekly, or over a contractual number of hours). But the threshold and the multiplier\n are yours only to see in writing — it is not the same at a second employer.
Two things set the cash: the threshold (when overtime starts) and the multiplier (what it pays).\p>\n
| £12.00 basic | £12.00 an hour |
|---|---|
| 1.5× after 37.5h/week | £18.00 an hour |
| 2.0× on a bank holiday | £24.00 an hour |
Percentages and multipliers describe the same thing: +50% is the same as 1.5×.\n If two enhancements stack on one hour, how they combine (add, multiply, or pay only the higher) is\n in your contract — see how premiums stack.
\n\n“An employer should break the hours down to show the number worked at each different rate\n of pay.”
\n — ACAS, Payslips\n
The overtime hours and the rate paid must appear as their own line (or lines). One lump of\n “overtime” with no hours behind it is a red flag — and so is a total that is right\n while the hours at each rate are wrong. Check it against\n the line-by-line hours check.
Overtime is normally calculated week by week. Rest is not — the 48-hour average limit\n is worked out over a reference period (usually 17 weeks, sometimes 26), not one week at a time.\n So a week full of overtime can be fine if surrounding weeks are lighter. See\n the shift pay rules for the limits themselves.
Shift Tracker UK applies your own overtime threshold and rate to every shift and compares the result\n with your payslip, day by day. Free, no install, any phone or PC.
\nThis page explains the common practice, not your contract. What you are owed depends on\n what you have agreed. For disputes, ACAS\n can advise, and the payslip itself is the official record.
Not in general. There is no automatic legal right to be paid for working extra hours. Your contract or\n your employer's policy decides the rate, if any. What the law does require is the National Minimum\n Wage as a minimum on all hours worked, and rest breaks.
\nNo. Your contract may require you to work overtime, but a clause that makes you work it for nothing is\n very unusual. If your employer routinely refuses agreed overtime pay, ACAS and an employment\n tribunal can advise.
\nYes. Overtime is pay, and it is added to the rest of your wages for income tax and National\n Insurance, exactly like any other hour.
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