Pay Concerns / U.S. guidance
Unpaid overtime
Salary alone does not answer the overtime question.
What does it mean?
The federal FLSA generally requires covered, nonexempt employees to receive at least 1½ times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. A workweek is a fixed, recurring seven-day period.
What to pay attention to
The regular rate is not always just the hourly base rate; certain bonuses and other payments can matter. State rules may add protections, such as daily overtime. Exemptions and special rules require a closer look.
Where to go next
- 1
Keep a week-by-week record of hours and pay, including bonuses.
- 2
Ask how your employer defines its workweek and calculates the regular rate.
- 3
Contact DOL/WHD or your state labor agency to discuss coverage and the applicable rules.
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 • Overtime pay (opens in a new tab)
Current FLSA overtime overview; no single effective date
- U.S. DOL • Fair Labor Standards Act overview (opens in a new tab)
Federal $7.25 minimum wage effective July 24, 2009; other FLSA provisions have different effective dates
- 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.