Pay Concerns / U.S. guidance
Working off the clock
Required or permitted work can count even without a time entry.
What does it mean?
For covered, nonexempt employees, work an employer requires or allows can be hours worked even when done before clocking in, after clocking out or away from the workplace.
What to pay attention to
Unrecorded setup, closing tasks, work messages or interrupted meal breaks can raise questions. Whether travel, training, waiting or on-call time counts depends on the facts.
Where to go next
- 1
Keep your own dated record of tasks, time and instructions.
- 2
Ask for a way to report and correct missing work time.
- 3
Contact DOL/WHD or your state labor agency if required work is not being recorded or paid.
Sources & dates
CCS content reviewed October 7, 2026. A review date is not a law’s effective date. Where a source has no single effective date, it is labeled as reference guidance. Open the official source for updates.
- U.S. DOL • Fact Sheet 22: Hours worked (opens in a new tab)
Guidance revised July 2008; rules and exceptions vary
- U.S. DOL • State labor offices (opens in a new tab)
Contact directory; no single effective date. Confirm the current state rule with the agency.