When must you pay time and half pay?

• A. for all hours worked in excess of 8 hours in any workday, but not for hours after 40 in a workweek.
• B. for all hours worked in excess of 12 hours in any workday.
• C. for hours after 40 in a workweek.
• D. for all hours worked in excess of 8 hours in any workday, up to 12 hours, for hours after 40 in a workweek, and for the first 8 hours worked on the 7th consecutive day of a workweek.

Answer: (D)

Time and a half is owed in California under three overlapping rules: daily overtime, weekly overtime, and a special seventh-day rule. Daily overtime kicks in after eight hours in a single workday, paid at 1.5 times the regular rate, but only for those hours up to 12 in that day. Weekly overtime applies when you exceed 40 hours in a workweek, also at 1.5 times the regular rate. Additionally, on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek, the first eight hours worked that day are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. The option that includes all of these elements—over eight hours in a day (up to 12 hours), over 40 hours in a workweek, and the first eight hours on the seventh day—best reflects when time and a half must be paid.