Overtime Definition

FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) defines overtime as the time that employees work over the threshold of 40 hours a week. Some medical and government employees may have different thresholds.

Overtime Extended Definition
Overtime refers to the number of hours that nonexempt employees work over and above the threshold of 40 hours. Under federal law, overtime is calculated over the entire work week, not on a daily basis.

Employers are required to pay nonexempt employees at least one and a half times their regular pay rate for working over the 40-hour threshold.

The DOL (Department of Labor) has established some exceptions to the overtime rules for “exempt” employees.

Last Updated By

Rachel Blakely-Gray | Apr 28, 2023

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