How Do You Calculate Bi-Weekly Timesheet Hours and Overtime?

To calculate bi-weekly timesheet hours, track net daily work hours across all 14 days of the pay period, calculate regular and overtime hours independently for Week 1 (Days 1–7) and Week 2 (Days 8–14) based on the 40-hour threshold, sum both weekly subtotals, and multiply by the base wage rate.

Why Is Week 1 vs Week 2 Overtime Segregation Required by Federal Law?

Under 29 CFR § 778.104, the Fair Labor Standards Act strictly mandates that each single workweek stands alone. An employer cannot combine or average hours worked in two separate workweeks to circumvent overtime requirements.

What Is the Mathematical Formula for Bi-Weekly Payroll Calculation?

Bi-weekly payroll calculation follows The Dual-Workweek Segregation Formula:

Week 1 Total = Sum of Net Daily Hours for Days 1 through 7
Week 1 OT = MAX(0, Week 1 Total - 40.0) | Week 1 Reg = MIN(Week 1 Total, 40.0)
Week 2 Total = Sum of Net Daily Hours for Days 8 through 14
Week 2 OT = MAX(0, Week 2 Total - 40.0) | Week 2 Reg = MIN(Week 2 Total, 40.0)
Total Bi-Weekly Gross = ((Week 1 Reg + Week 2 Reg) × Rate) + ((Week 1 OT + Week 2 OT) × Rate × 1.5)

Worked Example: How Do You Calculate Bi-Weekly Hours With Uneven Weeks?

Consider an employee earning $25.00 per hour who works 48.0 hours in Week 1 and 32.0 hours in Week 2.

Step 1 – Segregate Week 1 Hours

Week 1 contains 48.0 total hours = 40.0 regular hours + 8.0 overtime hours.

Step 2 – Segregate Week 2 Hours

Week 2 contains 32.0 total hours = 32.0 regular hours + 0.0 overtime hours.

Step 3 – Calculate Combined Bi-Weekly Subtotals

Total Regular Hours = 40.0 + 32.0 = 72.0 regular hours. Total Overtime Hours = 8.0 overtime hours.

Step 4 – Compute Bi-Weekly Gross Pay

Regular Earnings = 72.0 × $25.00 = $1,800.00. Overtime Earnings = 8.0 × ($25.00 × 1.5 = $37.50) = $300.00. Total Bi-Weekly Gross Pay = $1,800.00 + $300.00 = $2,100.00. (Averaging would have wrongly yielded $2,000.00, illegally underpaying the worker by $100.00).

How Do Bi-Weekly and Semi-Monthly Payroll Cycles Differ?

Bi-weekly payroll occurs every two weeks (26 pay periods per year), resulting in two months with three paychecks. Semi-monthly payroll occurs twice per month (24 pay periods per year, e.g., 15th and last day). For single-week tracking, use our Weekly Timesheet Calculator or estimate annual salary conversions with the Salary to Hourly Calculator.