Security guard overtime
calculator by state
In most US states a security officer earns time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek and nothing changes per day. A few states add daily rules: California (over 8 hours, double time over 12, and a seventh-day rule), Alaska and Nevada (over 8 hours, with conditions) and Colorado (over 12). This free calculator from CGuardPro takes one officer’s week of shifts, applies the rule of the state you pick and returns regular, overtime and double-time hours, plus pay if you enter a rate. It runs in your browser and shows the source for every rule.
One officer, one workweek
Overtime is paid on the regular rate, which can include shift differentials and non-discretionary bonuses. If the officer has those, the true overtime rate is higher than 1.5 times the base rate.
Pick a state and enter the hours for each day. If your browser does not run JavaScript, every state’s rule is in the table below and the method is written out so you can apply it by hand.
Not legal or payroll advice. Rules summarized from state labor departments and statutes as read in October 2026; exemptions, the regular rate, collective agreements and local ordinances can change the result.
How does the calculator split the hours?
In two steps, the same way a payroll analyst would on paper. First, each day is split by the state’s daily thresholds, if it has any: in California, hours 1 to 8 are regular, 9 to 12 are overtime and anything past 12 is double time. Second, the regular hours of the week are added up and whatever sits above the weekly threshold (40 almost everywhere) moves to overtime. An hour that was already overtime on its day does not count toward the 40 again, so nothing is paid twice.
Seventh-day rules are applied before the weekly step and only when the officer has hours on all seven days of the workweek. In California the first 8 hours on that seventh day are overtime and the rest double time; in Kentucky every hour on the seventh day is overtime, credited against the weekly overtime so the same hour is not paid at a premium twice.
Worked examples, one per rule type
| Rule | Week (hours per day) | Regular | OT | DT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal weekly 40 (e.g. Texas) | 12, 12, 12, 12, 0, 0, 0 | 40 | 8 | 0 |
| California daily 8 / 12 | 12, 12, 12, 12, 0, 0, 0 | 32 | 16 | 0 |
| California, 16-hour double | 16, 8, 8, 8, 8, 0, 0 | 40 | 4 | 4 |
| California, seventh consecutive day | 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 8, 10 | 40 | 16 | 2 |
| Alaska daily 8 (4+ employees) | 10, 10, 10, 10, 0, 0, 0 | 32 | 8 | 0 |
| Nevada, paid under $18.00 | 10, 10, 10, 10, 0, 0, 0 | 32 | 8 | 0 |
| Colorado daily 12 | 16, 8, 8, 8, 0, 0, 0 | 36 | 4 | 0 |
| Kentucky seventh day | 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6, 6 | 36 | 6 | 0 |
| Kansas, non-FLSA employer (46) | 12, 12, 12, 12, 0, 0, 0 | 46 | 2 | 0 |
| Minnesota, non-FLSA employer (48) | 12, 12, 12, 12, 0, 0, 0 | 48 | 0 | 0 |
The same four 12-hour shifts cost very different amounts. At $20.00 an hour they pay $1,040.00 under the federal rule (40 × 20 + 8 × 30) and $1,120.00 in California (32 × 20 + 16 × 30), because California pays the overtime by the day, from the first shift.
What is the overtime rule in each state?
The rule the calculator applies for each state, with its source and a link to our page for that state. “Federal” means our state page found no state overtime rule of its own and the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets the line.
What the calculator leaves out
- Exempt employees. It assumes a non-exempt hourly officer. Salaried managers may be exempt under federal and state tests.
- The regular rate. It multiplies the rate you enter. Shift differentials and non-discretionary bonuses raise the regular rate, and therefore the overtime rate.
- Premiums that are not hour thresholds. Rhode Island Sunday and holiday pay, meal and rest-period penalties, reporting-time pay and anything in a union contract.
- City ordinances and public contracts. Prevailing-wage or service-contract rules on a government post can add their own requirements.
Frequently asked questions
Which states have daily overtime for security guards?
Among the rules this calculator applies: California (over 8 hours a day, double time over 12, plus a seventh-day rule), Alaska (over 8 hours a day for employers with four or more employees), Nevada (over 8 hours in a workday for employees paid under 1.5 times the minimum wage, $18.00 an hour per the 2024 bulletin) and Colorado (over 12 hours a day or 12 consecutive hours). Oregon applies a 10-hour daily rule to manufacturing establishments, and Kentucky adds a seventh-day premium. Everywhere else the line is weekly.
Why does the calculator use 40 hours in Kansas and Minnesota?
Kansas (46 hours) and Minnesota (48 hours) state thresholds apply to employers that are not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. Most contract guard companies are covered, and covered employers pay overtime after 40. Tick the box only if you have confirmed your company is not covered by the FLSA.
Does a 12-hour guard shift always mean overtime?
Only where there is a daily rule. Under the federal rule, three 12-hour shifts are 36 straight-time hours and a fourth adds 8 hours of weekly overtime. In California every 12-hour shift carries 4 hours of daily overtime from the first day. In Colorado a 12-hour shift is still straight time; the thirteenth hour is not.
Are hours counted twice when daily and weekly overtime overlap?
No. The calculator splits each day first, then moves only the regular hours above the weekly threshold into overtime. An hour already paid as daily overtime does not count again toward the 40, which gives the same total as taking whichever of the daily or weekly figure pays more.
Does CGuardPro calculate overtime for payroll?
CGuardPro tracks each officer’s hours against a weekly threshold while you schedule. For US companies on Gusto, approved hours go to Gusto as time sheets already classified as regular, overtime and double overtime under the federal weekly 40-hour rule and California’s daily rules, per post; payroll itself is run in Gusto. Other states’ daily rules are not applied automatically. CGuardPro costs $5 per user per month with a 7-day free trial.
Is this legal or payroll advice?
No. It is arithmetic on the rule summarized for each state, with a link to the source. Exemptions, the regular rate of pay (which can include shift differentials and bonuses), union agreements and local ordinances can change the answer. Confirm with your payroll provider or an employment attorney before you pay anyone.
See the overtime while you build the week
In CGuardPro every scheduled shift, relief and clock event is recorded, and each officer’s hours are tracked against a weekly threshold so the extra shift shows its cost before you approve it. US companies on Gusto send approved hours as time sheets already split into regular, overtime and double overtime under the federal weekly rule and California’s daily rules. $5 per user per month, 7-day free trial.