How much holiday pay will I get?
Type your hourly rate, the hours you work on the holiday and your employer’s holiday rate. The holiday pay calculator shows what you earn for the day and how much of it is holiday premium.
- Holiday pay
- $240.00
Holiday pay: $240.00 ($240.00 for the hours you work, at $30.00 an hour).
- Pay for hours worked
- $240.00
- Holiday premium
- $80.00
- Holiday hourly rate
- $30.00
- Pay for holiday hours not worked
- $0.00
Holiday pay: $240.00. Holiday pay: $240.00 ($240.00 for the hours you work, at $30.00 an hour).
The results are estimates for information only. They are not financial, tax, or legal advice. Check the numbers with your lender or a qualified professional before you decide. Terms of use
How to calculate
Works out pay for hours worked on a holiday at time and a half, double time or any rate, plus paid holiday hours off, and the premium over regular pay.
Example with the default inputs (Hourly rate $20.00, Hours worked on the holiday 8, Holiday pay multiplier 1.5, Paid holiday hours not worked 0): Holiday pay: $240.00 ($240.00 for the hours you work, at $30.00 an hour).
Method: Pay for hours worked = hourly rate × multiplier × hours worked; premium = hourly rate × (multiplier − 1) × hours; pay for hours not worked = hourly rate × paid hours off; holiday pay = the two pays added.
- U.S. federal law (the FLSA) requires no holiday pay or premium; your employer’s policy or contract sets the multiplier.
- Federal employees get double pay (a multiplier of 2) for up to 8 hours of non-overtime holiday work.
- Overtime rules for hours over 40 in the week are left out.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Hourly rate $30.00, Hours worked on the holiday 8, Holiday pay multiplier 2 gives Holiday pay $480.00, Pay for hours worked $480.00, Holiday premium $240.00, Holiday hourly rate $60.00.Source: OPM, Fact Sheet: Holidays Work Schedules and Pay (holiday work is paid at the rate of basic pay plus holiday premium pay, double or 200 percent of the rate of basic pay). https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/pay-administration/fact-sheets/holidays-work-schedules-and-pay/
- Hourly rate $20.00, Hours worked on the holiday 8, Holiday pay multiplier 1.5 gives Holiday pay $240.00, Holiday premium $80.00, Holiday hourly rate $30.00.
- Hourly rate $18.50, Hours worked on the holiday 4, Holiday pay multiplier 1.5, Paid holiday hours not worked 8 gives Pay for hours worked $111.00, Pay for holiday hours not worked $148.00, Holiday pay $259.00, Holiday premium $37.00.
How it works
- Holiday hourly rate = hourly rate × multiplier (1.5 for time and a half, 2 for double time).
- Pay for hours worked = holiday hourly rate × hours worked on the holiday.
- Holiday premium = hourly rate × (multiplier − 1) × hours worked: the extra over a regular day.
- Pay for holiday hours not worked = hourly rate × paid holiday hours not worked (0 when left empty).
- Holiday pay = pay for hours worked + pay for holiday hours not worked.
Every step is an exact fraction of the amounts you type; each dollar output rounds once, half up, to the cent.
Assumptions
- The multiplier is from 1 to 10, the hourly rate from $0 to $1,000,000, and each hours field from 0 to 24.
- Overtime for hours over 40 in the week, shift differentials and taxes are left out.
Worked examples by hand
Double time, a federal employee (OPM). $30 an hour, 8 hours: holiday rate 30 × 2 = $60; pay 60 × 8 = $480; premium 30 × 8 = $240.
Time and a half. $20 an hour, 8 hours: holiday rate $30; pay 30 × 8 = $240; premium 20 × 0.5 × 8 = $80.
Half a day worked plus a paid day off. $18.50 an hour, 4 hours at 1.5 and 8 paid hours not worked: 18.50 × 1.5 × 4 = $111; 18.50 × 8 = $148; holiday pay $259; premium 18.50 × 0.5 × 4 = $37.
Other questions people ask
How is holiday pay calculated?
Multiply your hourly rate by the holiday multiplier and by the hours you work. At $20 an hour and time and a half (1.5), 8 holiday hours pay 20 × 1.5 × 8 = $240, which is $80 more than a regular day.
Is holiday pay required by law?
Not under U.S. federal law. The Department of Labor says the Fair Labor Standards Act does not require pay for time not worked, such as holidays, or a premium for work on a holiday. Holiday pay is a matter of agreement between you and your employer. Some government contracts and union contracts require it.
What is double time holiday pay?
Twice your regular rate for each holiday hour worked: a multiplier of 2. Federal employees get this for up to 8 hours of non-overtime holiday work: their basic pay plus an equal holiday premium, 200% of the basic rate.
What if I get the holiday off with pay?
Type the paid hours under Paid holiday hours not worked, such as 8 for a full day. They are paid at your regular rate. If you also work part of the day, the page adds both pays.
Does holiday pay count toward overtime?
Federal overtime is time and a half for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. Ask your employer whether it counts paid holiday hours toward the 40; this page leaves overtime out.
Is holiday pay taxed?
Yes. Holiday pay is wages, so income tax, Social Security and Medicare are withheld from it like the rest of your pay.