Washington Overtime Pay Laws & Calculator

The rules

Source: 29 U.S.C. § 207 (federal FLSA)

• Overtime applies after 40 hours in a single workweek, paid at 1.5x your regular hourly rate.
• Washington has no separate state-law daily-overtime or double-time requirement -- only the weekly threshold above applies.

Worked example

Take a non-exempt hourly employee in Washington earning $20.00/hour who works 45 hours in one workweek (nine hours a day, Monday through Friday). Applying Washington's rules above:

Use the full calculator to plug in your own rate, hours, and pay period — including estimated federal and Washington tax withholding.

Washington minimum wage and exempt-salary rules

Minimum wage

$17.13/hour statewide, effective January 1, 2026 -- a 2.8% increase tied to the CPI. Several cities set higher local minimums, including Seattle ($21.30/hour) and Burien/Renton/Everett/King County's unincorporated areas (roughly $20.77-$21.63/hour for large employers). (Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, Minimum Wage)

Tipped employees

Washington does not allow a tip credit at all -- employers may not count tips or service charges toward the minimum wage. Tipped employees get the full state or local minimum wage in direct wages, plus tips on top, no reduced cash rate. (Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, Minimum Wage)

Exempt (salaried) employee salary threshold

$1,541.70/week ($80,168.40/year) for the executive, administrative, and professional exemptions, effective January 1, 2026 -- set at 2.25x the state minimum wage, and scheduled to keep rising each year until it reaches 2.5x minimum wage in 2028. Computer professionals have their own separate threshold, 3.5x minimum wage ($59.96/hour). (Washington State Dept. of Labor & Industries, Salary Threshold Implementation Schedule)

Common mistake: The most common Washington mistake is assuming tipped employees can be paid less than minimum wage, the way federal law and most other states allow -- Washington explicitly bans tip credits, so every hour must be paid at the full state or local minimum wage in direct wages, with tips entirely on top.

Example: biweekly confusion in Washington

Same hourly rate ($20.00/hour), 35 hours in week 1 and 45 hours in week 2 — 80 hours total either way:

Week 2 still owes 5 overtime hours even though the two-week total is a plain 80 hours — overtime in Washington is calculated per workweek, not by averaging the pay period. See the biweekly overtime calculator for more examples.

Example: 3x12 vs. 4x12 schedules in Washington

Two common 12-hour-shift schedules, same $20.00/hour rate:

Want to compare your own rate, days, and shift differential? Use the schedule comparison tool.

Washington-specific FAQ

Is overtime taxed differently in Washington?

No -- overtime pay isn't taxed at a different rate than your regular wages. It's simply added to your gross pay for that period and withheld the same way as any other pay. Washington has no state income tax on wages, so overtime pay is only reduced by federal income tax and FICA (Social Security and Medicare) withholding.

Who this applies to

• This estimate assumes a non-exempt hourly employee. Executive, administrative, professional, and certain other roles may be exempt from overtime entirely under state and federal law.

This is an estimate for general informational purposes only, not legal, tax, or payroll advice. For your specific situation, consult your employer's payroll department, a licensed tax professional, or Washington's labor department.