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Piece Rate Calculator

List the pieces you completed and the rate for each, then your hours. The piece rate calculator totals your piece earnings, finds your regular hourly rate, adds the half-time overtime premium for hours over 40, and shows your effective hourly pay.

Runs in your browserFree, no signupFormula shown below
Pieces completed this week
Hourly pay for non-piece work, production bonuses.

Gross pay for the week

$607.17

Effective rate $13.20 an hour across 46 hours.

Pay breakdown
Piece earnings$570.00
Regular rate (earnings ÷ hours)$12.39
Overtime premium, 6 h × ½ regular rate$37.17
Total gross pay$607.17

Under 29 CFR 778.111, piece earnings already pay straight time for every hour, so overtime adds half the regular rate for hours over 40.

Your week by type of pay
  • Piece earnings: $570.00
  • Overtime premium: $37.17

Piece Rate Calculator, printed from employeecalculators.com/piece-rate-calculator/. Estimates of gross amounts before taxes and deductions, based on the values entered; not payroll or legal advice.

How the piece rate calculator works

Add one row per item type with its count and rate. Enter your total hours and any other pay for the week, such as hourly time for non-piece work. The calculator follows the federal method for pieceworkers. For the background, read piece rate pay and overtime; for other overtime cases, see how overtime pay is calculated.

Piece rate formula

Piece earnings = Σ (pieces × rate per piece)
Regular rate = (piece earnings + other earnings) ÷ hours worked
Overtime premium = hours over 40 × regular rate × 0.5

Worked example

900 pieces at $0.55 and 60 pieces at $1.25 in 46 hours

  1. Piece earnings: $495.00 + $75.00 = $570.00.
  2. Regular rate: $570.00 ÷ 46 = $12.39 an hour.
  3. Overtime premium: 6 × $12.39 × 0.5 = $37.17.
  4. Total gross pay: $607.17.
Minimum wage and state rules. Piece-rate workers must still receive at least the applicable minimum wage for all hours, and some states have extra rules for piece work. This calculator does not check compliance; compare your effective hourly rate with the rules where you work.

Frequently asked questions

How is piece rate pay calculated?

Multiply the number of pieces you completed by the rate for each piece, and add the totals for each type of item. 900 pieces at $0.55 is $495.

Do piece-rate workers get overtime?

Nonexempt piece-rate workers are covered by federal overtime rules. Under 29 CFR 778.111, the regular rate is total weekly earnings divided by hours worked, and each hour over 40 earns an extra half of that regular rate.

Why is overtime only half the rate, not time and a half?

Piece earnings already pay straight time for every hour, including overtime hours. Only the extra half is still owed. That is the same result as time and a half on the regular rate.

What is my effective hourly rate?

Total pay for the week divided by hours worked. It helps you compare piece work with an hourly job, and to check your pay against your state’s minimum wage.

Related guides

Piece Rate Pay and OvertimeHow piece-rate pay works, how to find your regular hourly rate, and how federal overtime is calculated for pieceworkers under 29 CFR 778.111. With examples.
Overtime CalculatorPrice overtime and double-time hours with your own rate and multipliers.Gross Pay CalculatorGross pay for a pay period from hours or salary, overtime, tips, bonuses, and other earnings.Shift Differential CalculatorNight or weekend differential pay, the regular rate it creates, and overtime on top.Time Card CalculatorTotal a week of shifts, subtract unpaid breaks, and split regular from overtime hours.

How this calculator was built. The formula, defaults, and edge cases are documented in a research record and covered by automated tests. It estimates gross amounts from your inputs; it does not determine legal entitlements, taxes, or take-home pay. Read our methodology and disclaimer.

Last updated:

Sources