# Overtime

Source: https://storiara.com/glossary/overtime
Last updated: 2026-09-14
Author: Charles Hirschhorn, Storiara

> Overtime is premium pay for time worked beyond a set number of hours, usually time and a half and then double time. Federal law requires time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, some states add daily thresholds, and union agreements set their own rules, which film budgets must price into every hourly labor line.

## The three rule sets

Which overtime rules apply depends on who's working and where.

| Who | Rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Non-exempt crew, anywhere in the US | 1.5x after 40 hours in a workweek | Federal FLSA |
| Non-exempt crew in California | 1.5x after 8 hours in a day and 40 in a week; 2x after 12 in a day; 7th consecutive day 1.5x for the first 8 hours, 2x after | California Labor Code 510 |
| SAG-AFTRA day performers, Ultra Low Budget | 1.5x through the 12th hour, 2x from the 13th, in tenths of an hour | UPA section on overtime |

IATSE and Teamster crews follow their own agreements, including [golden time](https://storiara.com/glossary/golden-time) past 12 or 14 hours.

## The "10-hour day" rate, worked out

Non-union deal memos often say "$300 for 10 hours." In California that $300 has to include overtime for hours 9 and 10, so you back out the real hourly rate first:

Straight-time equivalent hours: 8 + (2 x 1.5) = 11

Base hourly rate: $300 / 11 = $27.27

Now the crew member works 13 hours:

| Hours | Rate | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 10 (guaranteed) | included | $300.00 |
| 11 to 12 | 2 x $27.27 x 1.5 | $81.82 |
| 13 | 1 x $27.27 x 2 | $54.55 |
| **Total** | | **$436.37** |

That's about 45% more than the guaranteed $300, for three extra hours. An 11-hour day on the same deal pays $300 + ($27.27 x 1.5) = $340.91. If the budget assumed 11-hour days for a 20-day shoot and the show averages 13, the gap per person is 20 x ($436.37 - $340.91) = $1,909.20.

## Budgeting it honestly

Budgets that price crew at a straight day rate for the number of scheduled days are almost always short. A better approach is to set a planned day length per department (grip and electric often run longer than the office) and price the overtime into each line, then track the actual pattern in [hot costs](https://storiara.com/glossary/hot-costs). The [overtime calculator](https://storiara.com/tools/overtime-calculator) does the tiered math.

## Overtime errors payroll catches

Paying overtime on the day rate instead of the hourly base rate, missing the weekly 40-hour threshold for crew who do four long days and a short fifth, treating [kit rental](https://storiara.com/glossary/kit-rental) as part of the regular rate, and forgetting the premium on a [sixth day](https://storiara.com/glossary/sixth-day) or [seventh day](https://storiara.com/glossary/seventh-day). A [flat rate](https://storiara.com/glossary/flat-rate) doesn't remove overtime obligations for non-exempt workers.

## Frequently asked questions

### How is overtime calculated on a 12-hour film day?

In California, hours over 8 in a workday are paid at time and a half and hours over 12 at double time. On a 12-hour day that's 8 straight hours plus 4 hours at 1.5x. Union agreements can use different thresholds.

### Can I pay crew a flat day rate with no overtime?

Only for workers who are legally exempt, which most crew are not. A flat day rate for non-exempt crew still has to satisfy federal and state overtime law, so it should be written as a guaranteed number of hours that includes the overtime.

### How do SAG-AFTRA low budget agreements handle overtime?

The Ultra Low Budget agreement requires day performers' overtime through the 12th hour at time and a half, in tenth-of-an-hour units, and double time from the 13th hour.

## Sources

- [U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Overtime pay](https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/overtime)
- [California Labor Code section 510](https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=LAB&sectionNum=510)
- [SAG-AFTRA Ultra Low Budget Project Agreement (sample, rev. 3.21.23)](https://www.sagaftra.org/sites/default/files/Ultra%20Low%20Budget%20Project%20Agreement%20(UPA)%20Rev.%203.21.23%20SAMPLE.pdf)