Everyone in Texas wants a healthy work/life balance, but sometimes the job requires that you go above and beyond. If you do have to put in extra hours, at the very least you want to be compensated fairly for your dedication.
Knowing your rights when it comes to overtime is crucial in making sure you’re being treated fairly in the workplace. Depending on your job, federal law may mandate certain minimum overtime payment thresholds. And you could have overtime compensation claims, depending on your circumstances.
How much should you be paid for overtime?
For employees who fall under the Fair Labor Standards Act, any overtime hours require compensation at no less than one and one-half times their normal hourly pay rate. An overtime hour is any hour worked above 40 hours in one week.
However, not all occupations are covered under FLSA. Jobs not covered include:
- Any executive roles within a business
- Salespeople who work primarily away from their employer’s business
- Professional positions such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, teachers, scientists and accountants
- Many jobs dealing with computers
- Live-in domestic employees
- Cab drivers
- Many seasonal workers, such as farm workers and drivers
For professions like these, it’s possible that state law will still mandate overtime compensation thresholds. But federal law doesn’t do so.
Some occupations may feature even higher overtime compensation amounts, like double time for holiday work. But note that these are typically not mandated by law.
No federal laws bar employers from demanding that you work overtime, other than a handful of occupations where safety is a concern. However, there may be caps on how many overtime hours you can be asked (or even allowed) to work.