Everyday agents · Employment · United States (federal)
Do I have to pay overtime to my employees?
- What applies?
- Non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
- What must I do?
- Classify each role as exempt or non-exempt. Record hours worked every workday and workweek. Pay overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate. Keep payroll records for at least 3 years.
- What happens if I do nothing?
- Employees can recover unpaid overtime plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, and repeated or willful violations carry civil penalties.
- Who regulates this?
- U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division
- What is the deadline?
- Overtime is due on the regular payday for the period; claims can be brought within 2 years, or 3 years for willful violations.
Sources
Read 2026-10-14 · ID agent:us:everyday:overtime-pay · sha256 8dd8555a6d7886b2cb6ef6dc18d86d54e3ab51d7efde730fefa418a282c65465
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Why some answers have no figure
- Civil penalty amounts are adjusted for inflation every year; the current amounts are published by the Department of Labor. Official source
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Court decisions
not_in_register: no court decision in the register applies this rule yet. The answer rests on the cited provisions.
Machine readable: JSON. Not legal advice. Source: NovaCopilot.