Can the excess and shortfall figures both be nonzero at once?

No. Exactly one of them is nonzero, or both are zero when the hours land exactly on the threshold, since a total is either above, below, or equal to the threshold, never more than one of those at the same time.

What period label should I use?

Whatever period the threshold itself actually applies to, such as a specific week or a specific pay period, since the label exists to keep the comparison meaningful rather than to change the arithmetic itself.

Overtime Threshold Calculator

Enter worked hours, a threshold, and what period it applies to (for example, "week"). This is a planning comparison, not an overtime-law or pay-rate determination.

Planning how to allocate hours across days instead? See Workweek Hours Planner.

Want to learn more?

How Timecard Rounding Rules Change Paid Hours

Worked example

Working 38 hours against a stated 40-hour weekly threshold produces 0 hours of excess and a 2-hour shortfall, since the actual total falls short of the named threshold rather than exceeding it. Flip the numbers around, working 42 hours against the same 40-hour threshold, and the result flips too, showing 2 hours of excess and no shortfall at all. Hit exactly 40 hours against a 40-hour threshold and both numbers land at zero, a clean boundary case that this calculator reports plainly rather than rounding one way or the other. The threshold itself is never assumed. You name it directly, along with a label for the period it covers, so the comparison always reflects the specific number that actually matters for your situation rather than a generic default like a standard 40-hour week.

Common mistakes

Treating the excess or shortfall figure as a legal overtime determination. It is a plain arithmetic comparison between the hours and the threshold you entered, nothing more.
Entering a threshold from a different period than the hours you are comparing, such as a monthly threshold against a single week's hours, which produces a technically correct but practically meaningless comparison.

Limitations

No overtime law, pay rate, or exemption status is applied here. This is a plain comparison against a threshold you name, and it makes no legal or payroll compliance determination about whether any specific hours actually qualify for overtime pay.

Frequently asked questions

Can the excess and shortfall figures both be nonzero at once?: No. Exactly one of them is nonzero, or both are zero when the hours land exactly on the threshold, since a total is either above, below, or equal to the threshold, never more than one of those at the same time.
What period label should I use?: Whatever period the threshold itself actually applies to, such as a specific week or a specific pay period, since the label exists to keep the comparison meaningful rather than to change the arithmetic itself.