Guides

The rules behind the numbers. Most pay disputes are not arguments about arithmetic — they are arguments about which rule applies, and these explain the ones that come up.

What a workweek is, and why it decides your overtime A fixed 168-hour period your employer defines. It need not match the calendar, it sets where overtime starts, and hours cannot be averaged across two of them. Start here
Daily and weekly overtime, and the trap between them Federal law counts weekly; a few states also count daily. Where both apply they must not count the same hours twice — the error that turns 10 overtime hours into 20. Core
Salaried does not mean you lose overtime Exemption needs a salary basis, a minimum threshold and specific duties — all three. A salary alone satisfies none of them, and the duties test decides most cases. Core
Why overtime is not always 1.5× your hourly wage Overtime is one and a half times the regular rate, which bonuses, shift differentials and commissions raise above your base wage. Core
Can my employer round my clock-in time? Rounding to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes is permitted. Rounding that can only ever go one way is not — and here is how to check which is happening. Check yours
Which breaks have to be paid? Short breaks are paid, genuine meal periods are not, and a lunch you worked through is unpaid work whatever the timesheet says. Check yours
Do you get paid for federal holidays? Federal holidays bind the federal government, not your employer. And paid holiday hours do not count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold, which catches people out. Explainer
Biweekly and semimonthly are not the same thing Twenty-six pay dates or twenty-four, fixed weekdays or fixed dates, why semimonthly overtime often arrives late, and the 27th payday that appears every eleventh year. Payroll
If the numbers do not add up What to check first, what to document, how to raise it, and the free route that can compel the records you cannot get yourself. Practical