If your employer asks you to work overtime, you want to ensure that you’re being paid properly. In fact, many employees are excited about overtime hours because they want those higher paychecks. They see it as a bonus to make more than their normal wage.
But what do you really deserve? Here are a few key points to keep in mind.
Time and a half
First of all, you should typically be paid time and a half for overtime hours. If you make $20 an hour for your standard pay, you should get $30 an hour for all of your overtime hours. This is also true if you’re given comp time off in exchange for your overtime hours, in which case you should get 1.5 hours off for each additional hour worked.
Beyond 12 hours
However, the above only applies if you work between eight and 12 hours during a single shift. If you work beyond 12 hours, then your employer needs to double your pay. If you worked for 16 hours, for example, you would get eight hours at your standard rate, four more hours at a time and a half, and then four more hours at double time.
It is important to note that this means you can get overtime for working more than eight hours in one day, not just for working more than 40 hours in a single week. You should also get overtime for any hours that you work past six days in a row.
Do you feel that you have been paid incorrectly? Things can get very complicated, but it’s important to know what legal options you have.