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How the sum works
The sample above is a $800 day that covers 10 hours, and a 12-hour day worked at time and a half.
| Step | Sum | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Straight hourly | $800 ÷ 10 | $80.00 |
| Overtime hourly | $80 × 1.5 | $120.00 |
| Overtime hours | 12 less 10 | 2 |
| Overtime pay | $120 × 2 | $240.00 |
| The day | $800 + $240 | $1,040.00 |
The number that changes most is the hours the rate covers. The same $800 on a 12-hour day pays no overtime at all for those same 12 hours, and it comes to about $67 an hour instead of $80. Ask which it is before you say yes.
| Same $800 rate, 12 hours worked | Overtime | The day pays |
|---|---|---|
| Covers 8 hours, at 1.5 | 4 hours at $150 | $1,400.00 |
| Covers 10 hours, at 1.5 | 2 hours at $120 | $1,040.00 |
| Covers 12 hours | None | $800.00 |
What to settle before the shoot
These are the things that turn into arguments on a Friday, so put them on the deal memo.
| Term | The question |
|---|---|
| Hours | How many hours does the rate cover? |
| Overtime | At what multiple, and does it go up past a certain hour? |
| The clock | Does it start at call or at arrival? Does it stop at wrap or at load-out? |
| Meals | Is lunch paid time? |
| Kit | Is the kit fee a day, or for the job? Is it taxable income to you? |
| Travel | Are travel days paid, and at what rate? |
| Cancellation | What is paid if the day is canceled the night before? |
| Payment | When is the invoice due? |
Our guide on day rate or project rate covers how to charge, and 1099s for film crew covers what happens at the end of the year in the US.
What this calculator leaves out
We print no market rates, because they swing by city, by job and by year, and a confident average would mislead you. Ask crew you trust, your local union or a rental house. Union jobs run on scale agreements with their own rules for overtime, meal penalties and fringes, and those are not this sum. Some states also have their own overtime rules for employees. This is arithmetic, and it is not legal or payroll advice.
The cents-a-mile box starts at 76, the IRS business rate for July 1 to December 31, 2026 (it was 72.5 from January 1 to June 30). A deal can pay a different rate. For your own tax deduction, the mileage deduction calculator applies the right rate to each trip's date.
A figure must be a plain number. A minus sign, a word or something too large for the field is marked in red and named under the form, and the sum carries on without it.
How Cutvey does the same sum
The crew timecards use exactly this formula, with overtime after 10 hours at 1.5x by default. You can change those terms for the workspace or for one booking. Crew log in, out and break times, or use the clock buttons. A finance seat approves the card, which fixes the figures, and the approved day lands on that person's invoice. Timecards are arithmetic and they are not payroll. For crew, and how it fits a job.
Frequently asked
What is time and a half on a day rate?
The day rate divided by the hours it covers gives an hourly rate, and each hour past that pays 1.5 times it. On a $600 10-hour day, that is $60 an hour and $90 for each overtime hour.
Does a kit fee get overtime?
Not in this calculator. A kit fee is usually flat for the day. Settle it on the deal memo.
Can I share the result?
Yes. The page address keeps your numbers, so you can send the link, or press Copy the breakdown. Nothing is stored on our side.