Montana Overtime Calculator and Time Tracking Rules
Overtime in Montana is time and a half after 40 hours in a week. The Montana minimum wage is $10.85 an hour. Use the free calculator below, check the state's wage and hour rules, and see how Clox tracks your crew's hours.
NOVEMBER 6, 2026 · BY THE CLOX TEAM
If you run an hourly crew in Montana, two questions come up every payroll: how much do you owe once someone crosses into overtime, and are you following the state's rules. Montana uses the federal 40-hour rule, so any hour past 40 in a workweek is paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. The Montana minimum wage is $10.85 an hour. This page gives you a free Montana overtime calculator, a plain summary of the state's wage and hour rules, and a look at how Clox tracks your crew's hours.
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Free Montana overtime calculator
Enter the hours someone worked in a week and their pay rate to see the regular and overtime split. The math follows Montana rules: time and a half after 40 hours, with no daily overtime.
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Montana wage and hour rules
Here's the short version of the rules an hourly Montana employer runs into. Each figure has a source below, and the rules change over time, so confirm anything you rely on with the state.
$10.85 per hour since January 1, 2026. Montana sets its rate under §39-3-409 MCA as the greater of the federal FLSA rate or the state rate, adjusted each year for inflation. Montana allows no tip credit: tips, gratuities, and service charges belong to the employee and cannot count toward wages, so tipped employees must receive the full $10.85 cash wage. Montana also allows no meal credit and no training wage. A business not covered by the federal FLSA whose gross annual sales are $110,000 or less may pay $4.00 per hour. However, any individual employee who produces or moves goods between states, or is otherwise covered by the FLSA, must be paid the greater of the federal minimum wage or Montana's minimum wage. The rate rises to $11.20 per hour on January 1, 2027.
1.5x the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek (§39-3-405 MCA). The Montana Department of Labor and Industry measures this over the employer's seven-day workweek. The department lists agricultural workers, salaried executive and administrative professionals, and outside sales persons among the exempt groups.
None. Montana has no daily overtime and no double-time requirement. Overtime is owed only on hours over 40 in the employer's seven-day workweek, however many hours are worked in a single day.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry states that no state or federal law requires an employer to give a meal period. If one is given, it may be unpaid when it lasts 30 minutes or longer and the employee is completely relieved from duty.
The Montana Department of Labor and Industry states that no state or federal law requires an employer to give rest periods or coffee breaks. If the employer chooses to give short rest breaks, that time must be paid.
Discharged for cause or laid off: immediately, which the Department of Labor and Industry reads as within four hours or by the end of the business day, whichever comes first (§39-3-205 MCA). An employer with a written personnel policy that extends the deadline must still pay by the next regular payday for that pay period or within 15 days, whichever comes first. A separate rule in §39-3-205(3) lets an employer hold final wages after a discharge for alleged theft, but only with the employee's written consent or a report to law enforcement within 7 business days. The wages become due if no charges are filed within 30 days of the report.
Confirm before you rely on these
Rates verified November 2026. The $10.85 rate took effect January 1, 2026. On October 7, 2026 the Montana Department of Labor and Industry announced that the minimum wage rises to $11.20 per hour on January 1, 2027. Montana indexes its rate each year to the August to August change in the CPI-U, rounded to the nearest $0.05, and announces the new rate by September 30 for the following January 1. The $4.00 rate for small non-FLSA businesses is set in statute and is not indexed. This is general information, not legal or payroll advice. Check the Montana labor department for the current rules, and talk to a professional for your situation.
Sources: erd.dli.mt.gov, erd.dli.mt.gov, erd.dli.mt.gov, mca.legmt.gov, mca.legmt.gov, mca.legmt.gov, erd.dli.mt.gov, dol.gov, dol.gov, dol.gov.
How long to keep time records
Federal law requires keeping time cards 2 years and payroll records 3 years, and some states go longer. The full breakdown is in how long to keep timesheets and payroll records.
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Track Montana hours accurately with Clox
A calculator is only as accurate as the hours you put into it. Clox is time tracking built for field and trade crews, so your crew's hours are recorded accurately in the first place, then the overtime is figured for you.
- Your crew clocks in with one tap on their phone, and it works offline, so a dead zone on the job doesn't lose a punch.
- Lock clock-in to a geofenced worksite so it has to happen on site. It's a strong deterrent, not a foolproof guarantee, because the location comes from the phone.
- Overtime is calculated automatically on the Montana weekly-40 rule, so you're not doing this math by hand every Friday.
- Export payroll-ready files for QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, and Paychex when the week is done.
If your crew moves between addresses during the day, settle how you handle drive time between job sites before you run the numbers. Those hours can count toward the weekly total, and leaving them untracked understates the overtime you owe.
You can see the plans on the pricing page, or start a free trial. It's 14 days free, no credit card to start, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
More state guides: North Dakota time tracking, Washington time tracking.