Does Kentucky have daily overtime?
No. Like most states, Kentucky follows the federal standard: overtime is owed only after 40 hours in a workweek, not for long single days, weekends, or holidays by themselves. Four states — California, Alaska, Nevada, and Colorado — add daily overtime; Kentucky is not one of them. Employer policy or a union contract can still provide extra premiums.
Kentucky's seventh-day overtime rule
Kentucky requires time and a half for the hours worked on the seventh day when an employee works all seven days of a workweek. The rule does not apply if the employee is not permitted to work more than 40 hours in that workweek, and the employer may credit overtime already paid for the same hours under another law or contract. Read the statute itself: KRS 337.050.
The Kentucky exceptions worth knowing
KRS 337.050 also exempts supervisors, small telephone exchanges, certain professional assistants, railway and maritime workers, and common carriers under the Department of Vehicle Regulation. This is a narrow rule rather than a general one — it changes the answer only for the workers it names, and everyone else in Kentucky is on the standard rule described above. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, State Minimum Wage Laws.
The federal rule that always applies in Kentucky
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered non-exempt employees in Kentucky must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek. The math is two steps: overtime rate = regular rate × 1.5, then overtime pay = overtime rate × overtime hours. The authoritative federal reference is the U.S. Department of Labor overtime page. Rules change — confirm anything time-sensitive with Kentucky's state labor department before relying on it.
No tax on overtime in Kentucky
Overtime has never had a special higher tax rate — it is ordinary income. And under the 2025 federal law commonly called “no tax on overtime,” eligible workers in Kentucky can deduct the premium portion of FLSA overtime (the extra 0.5x) from federal taxable income, up to annual caps, for tax years 2025 through 2028. Because it is federal, it applies in Kentucky the same as every other state. Estimate what it is worth with the no tax on overtime calculator.
Run your Kentucky numbers
Use the calculator above for a quick 1.5x figure, add double-time hours in the overtime calculator if your schedule qualifies, and compare every state's rules on the overtime rules by state page. This site does the math; your Kentucky labor department and the U.S. DOL are the authorities on classification and eligibility.