Regular Hours Definition

The number of hours a “nonexempt” employee may spend doing work for his or her employer without being entitled to overtime pay are known as regular hours. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, that number is 40 hours per work week.

Regular Hours Extended Definition
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) mandates that a “nonexempt” employee may only spend 40 regular hours per work week. A workweek is defined as a fixed seven-day, 168-hour regularly recurring period of time established and understood by the employer and employees; it may begin on any day, at any hour of the day, but it remains the same from week to week.

For any time a nonexempt employee works beyond regular hours in a workweek, the employee must be compensated at a rate of 1.5 times the employee’s usual hourly rate of pay.

Leave, vacation, or paid sick time do not count toward these 40 regular hours for the purpose of determining overtime.

Individual states may have additional laws governing regular hours and overtime pay, including limitations on the number of hours an employee may work per 24-hour day. Employers must conform to the more stringent set of laws.

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Last Updated By

Rachel Blakely-Gray | Apr 28, 2023