Overtime calculator joins collection of elaws advisors
offered by U.S. Department of Labor

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division has unveiled a new elaws advisor — the FLSA Overtime Calculator — to help employers and workers understand and calculate overtime pay. The calculator can be accessed at www.dol.gov/elaws/otcalculator.htm.

The department's elaws advisors are Internet-based compliance tools to help both employers comply with federal employment laws and workers understand their rights under these laws. By asking a series of questions, each advisor simulates a conversation with a Labor Department expert and provides the user with information on the law's requirements.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), covered employees who are not exempt must be paid overtime at rates of one and one-half times their regular rates of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. The new FLSA Overtime Calculator advisor is a practical and helpful compliance assistance tool that provides examples of how FLSA overtime should be completed under some, but not all, scenarios. The calculator will help improve compliance with this important worker protection.

The Overtime Calculator advisor computes overtime pay due in a sample pay period based on information submitted by the user, such as the primary method of pay, additional compensation paid in the form of bonuses, commissions and shift differentials, and information relating to the hours employees worked. The calculator then totals the hours worked during the sample pay period and, based on the user's input, calculates the overtime pay due for any overtime hours worked. Because it is an educational tool, the advisor also provides links to definitions and detailed information on overtime pay requirements.

The Overtime Calculator joins a suite of five other FLSA advisors:

• The Coverage and Employment Status Advisor at www.dol.gov/elaws/flsa.htm helps identify which workers are employees covered by the FLSA.
• The Hours Worked Advisor at www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/hoursworked provides information to determine which hours spent in work-related activities are considered FLSA "hours worked" and therefore must be paid.
• The Overtime Security Advisor at www.dol.gov/elaws/overtime.htm helps determine which employees are exempt from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay requirements under the Part 541 overtime regulations.
• The Child Labor Rules Advisor at www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/cl/default.htm answers questions about the FLSA's youth employment provisions, including at what age young people can work and the jobs they can perform.
• The Section 14(c) Advisor at www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/14c helps explain the special minimum wage requirements for workers with disabilities.

To view these and other employment-related advisors, visit www.dol.gov/elaws. For more information about the FLSA and other laws administered by the Wage and Hour Division, call the department's toll-free help line at (866) 4US-Wage (487-9243). Information is also available on the Internet at www.wagehour.dol.gov.

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Archived News Release — Caution: Information may be out of date.