time and a half

American  

noun

1. a rate of pay for overtime work equal to one and one half times the regular hourly wage.

---

time and a half British  

noun

1. the rate of pay equalling one and a half times the normal rate, often offered for overtime work

---

time and a half Idioms  

1. A rate of pay for overtime work that is one and one-half times higher than the regular hourly wage, as in I don't mind working Sunday so long as I get time and a half. This expression uses time in the sense of “the number of hours worked.” [c. 1885]

---

Etymology

Origin of time and a half

First recorded in 1885–90

Example Sentences

If overtime is paid as time and a half, just the “half” counts toward the $12,500 deduction.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 13, 2026

He describes the song as akin to a “slow reggae” with “a double time and a half time all strung together in ballad form, kind of.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 3, 2023

Starbucks is keeping its cafes and distribution centers open on Juneteenth, but hourly workers will get time and a half for working that day, the Seattle-based company said in a statement.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 18, 2021

Then there’d be time and a half for any overtime.

From Slate • Jan. 25, 2020

Now thoroughly unnerved, I tell him I’m not working an eleven-hour shift, not without time and a half after eight.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich