STATE GUIDESJuly 5, 20265 min read

North Carolina Overtime Calculator and Time Tracking Rules

Overtime in North Carolina is time and a half after 40 hours in a week. North Carolina follows the federal minimum wage. Use the free calculator below, check the state's wage and hour rules, and see how Clox tracks the hours behind them.

If you run an hourly crew in North Carolina, two questions come up every payroll: how much do you owe once someone crosses into overtime, and are you following the state's rules. North Carolina uses the federal 40-hour rule, so any hour past 40 in a workweek is paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. $7. This page gives you a free North Carolina overtime calculator, a plain summary of the state's wage and hour rules, and a look at how Clox tracks the hours behind those numbers.

Free North Carolina overtime calculator

Enter the hours someone worked in a week and their pay rate to see the regular and overtime split. The math follows North Carolina rules: time and a half after 40 hours, with no daily overtime.

North Carolina overtime calculator

Hours worked this week

Hourly rate

Regular pay (40 hrs × $20.00)$800.00

Overtime pay (5 hrs × 1.5 × $20.00)$150.00

Gross pay this week$950.00

Overtime is 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. North Carolina follows the federal rule and has no daily overtime, so hours over 8 in a day do not trigger overtime on their own.

North Carolina minimum wage: $7.

Estimate only, for planning. Confirm current figures with the North Carolina labor department. This is not legal or payroll advice.

North Carolina wage and hour rules

Here is the short version of the rules an hourly North Carolina employer runs into. Each figure has a source below, and the rules change over time, so confirm anything you rely on with the state.

Rule	What it says
Minimum wage	$7.25/hr, North Carolina follows the federal minimum wage (unchanged since 2009; no increase for 2026, no state-scheduled effective date). No local variants: state law preempts cities/counties from setting a higher rate. Tipped wage is $2.13/hr plus tip credit up to $7.25; a $4.25/hr training wage may apply to workers under 20 for their first 90 days.
Overtime	1.5x the regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. NC has adopted the federal FLSA standard; overtime is calculated per workweek, and "each workweek stands on its own."
Daily overtime	None. No daily overtime or double-time. NC DOL states pay is based on hours worked each workweek, not by hours worked each day.
Meal break	No state meal-break requirement for adults. The NC Wage and Hour Act does not require meal breaks for employees 16 or older. (Minors under 16 must get a 30-minute break after 5 hours.)
Rest break	No state rest-break requirement for adults. The NC Wage and Hour Act does not require rest breaks for employees 16 or older. If short breaks (under ~20-30 min) are given, they are generally paid under FLSA rules.
Final paycheck	On or before the next regular payday following separation, regardless of whether the employee quit, was laid off, or was fired. Wages based on bonuses/commissions are due on the first regular payday after the amount can be calculated.

North Carolina wage and hour rules for hourly workers, as researched for 2026.

Confirm before you rely on these

All figures verified against NC Department of Labor primary sources as of July 2026. North Carolina's minimum wage is statutorily tied to the federal rate and has been $7.25 since 2009; no change is scheduled for 2026. Because NC uses the federal rate, there is no independent state "effective date", the current $7.25 has been in effect since July 24, 2009. NC preempts local minimum-wage ordinances, so there are no city/county variants for field/construction workers. This is general information, not legal or payroll advice. Check the North Carolina labor department for the current rules, and talk to a professional for your situation.

Sources: labor.nc.gov, labor.nc.gov, labor.nc.gov, labor.nc.gov.

Track North Carolina hours the honest way with Clox

A calculator is only as good as the hours you feed it. Clox is time tracking built for field and trade crews, so the hours behind these numbers are captured 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 does not lose a punch.
Lock clock-in to a geofenced worksite so a punch has to happen on site. It is a strong deterrent, not a foolproof guarantee, because the location comes from the phone.
Overtime is calculated automatically on the North Carolina weekly-40 rule, so you are not doing this math by hand every Friday.
Export payroll-ready files for QuickBooks, Gusto, ADP, and Paychex when the week is done.

You can see the plans on the pricing page, or start a free trial. It is 14 days free, no credit card to start, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The best time tracking software for field crews →

How to choose time tracking that fits how trade and field crews actually work, beyond the payroll math.

Time tracking with geofencing →

Lock clock-in to the job site so the hours you calculate are the hours your crew actually worked on site.

Nearby state guides: Virginia time tracking, South Carolina time tracking.

North Carolina Overtime Calculator and Time Tracking Rules

Free North Carolina overtime calculator

North Carolina wage and hour rules

Track North Carolina hours the honest way with Clox

Want this kind of clarity in your weekly payroll?