How many hours can I be made to work?
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How many hours can I be made to work?
I’m currently in a salary position working 55-60 hour weeks with no additional compensation. At what point is my employer required to pay overtime?
Asked on October 6, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Minnesota
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 7 years ago | Contributor
If you are a salaried exempt (from overtime) employee, you can be made to work any number of hours without overtime or any additional compensation: your base salary is all you'd get, no matter how many hours you work. The key issue is: are you exempt?
To be exempt from overtime:
1) You must be paid a salary.
2) Your salary must be at least $23,600/year.
3) Your job duties and authority must meet one or more of the tests or criteria for exemption, such as the administrative employee test, the executive employee test, the professional test, etc. which you can find on the U.S. Dept. of Labor website under "overtime." Look up those test/criteria and compare to your job.
If are salaried for at least $23,600/year and meet at least one exemption, you are exempt and do not receive any extra pay no matter how many hours you work. If you earn too little (less than $23,600) or do not meet at least one exemption, you are not exempt, even though you are paid on a salary basis. In that case, you would be entitled to extra pay when you work more than 40 hours in a week; if you think this is the case, contact your state or federal department of labor about filing an overtime complaint.
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