United States Department of Labor

Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

Overtime Pay

Overview

The federal overtime provisions are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Unless exempt, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay. There is no limit in the Act on the number of hours employees aged 16 and older may work in any workweek. The Act does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, unless overtime is worked on such days.

The Act applies on a workweek basis. An employee's workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours — seven consecutive 24-hour periods. It need not coincide with the calendar week, but may begin on any day and at any hour of the day. Different workweeks may be established for different employees or groups of employees. Averaging of hours over two or more weeks is not permitted. Normally, overtime pay earned in a particular workweek must be paid on the regular pay day for the pay period in which the wages were earned.

On May 18, 2016 President Obama and Secretary Perez announced the publication of the Department of Labor’s final rule updating the overtime regulations, which will automatically extend overtime pay protections to over 4 million workers within the first year of implementation. This long-awaited update will result in a meaningful boost to many workers’ wallets, and will go a long way toward realizing President Obama’s commitment to ensuring every worker is compensated fairly for their hard work. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/whd/overtime/final2016.

	General Guidance Guidance materials about overtime topics, including an Employment Law Guide, Qs & As, guide to overtime laws in the states, and more. LEARN MORE
	Fact Sheets Learn more by reading fact sheets that cover a variety of overtime topics. LEARN MORE
	E-tools Access a collection of interactive online tools and presentations that address overtime pay requirements. LEARN MORE
	Posters Every employer of employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted, a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their establishments so as to permit employees to readily read it. The poster is available in English as well as nine other languages. LEARN MORE
	Interpretive Guidance Review Administrator Interpretations, Opinion and Ruling Letters as well as pertinent chapters of the WHD Field Operations Handbook. LEARN MORE
	Applicable Laws and Regulations Review the laws and regulations that govern overtime in the United States. LEARN MORE