If you’ve ever worked more than 40 hours in a workweek, you know how exhausting it can be, but you also know that the hope for overtime pay can motivate you to keep working hard until the end. However, you could be losing money if your employer chooses not to follow the laws governing overtime wages.
What Are the Overtime Laws for Florida?
Any hours worked over 40 in one workweek count as overtime hours. The mandated rate for most employees is time and a half their standard rate for each hour worked over 40. And yet, there are many confusions about overtime laws in Florida, so it pays to know the basics to make sure you’re getting every dollar you’ve earned.
OT Law Summary for Florida
These are the main points for Florida overtime law:
| State and Federal Statutes |
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| Calculating Overtime |
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| FLSA Exemptions | These types of employees are not entitled to overtime pay
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| Filing Wage Violations |
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Note: It is essential to conduct your research or to speak with an attorney qualified in Florida wage laws. These laws are subject to change. You need to make sure you verify any information about wage laws.
How Federal Overtime Law Effects Your Wages
Florida labor law does not cover overtime payment. Instead, federal overtime laws cover it. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) of 1938 covers federal overtime laws. The FLSA serves to provide the minimum requirements for the treatment of employees by employers across the nation.
The FLSA regulates minimum wages, child labor standards, record-keeping rules, and overtime wages. Additionally, states can add benefits and rights for workers, but they cannot take away from the rights granted to their employees by the FLSA. As a result, federal law is the state law in Florida.
How You Can Calculate Your Overtime in Florida
The work week must consist of seven consecutive 24 hour work days in one schedule under the FLSA and Florida wage law. As long as the week runs seven consecutive days, the workweek can start any day of the week.
Any employee who works more than 40 hours in a week is to be granted compensation for these hours by state laws. This is done by:
- Requiring or allowing the employee to take time off at the overtime rate of time and a half each hour worked over overtime (this is for government employees only).
- Being paid time and a half the normal rate of pay for each hour over 40 worked.
Who Does Not Qualify for Overtime Pay
Overtime pay applies to all employees. There are many factors at play when figuring out who is exempt. Being paid a salary of no less than $455 per week while also meeting specific criteria regarding job duties is essential. Job titles do not determine exempt status. Department regulations must be met concerning salary and responsibilities for an employee to qualify as exempt.
Federal rules govern specific industries independent of the FLSA; these industries often have their own rules for pay. Outside sales professionals, truck drivers, and railroad workers are included in this particular group. One note to be made: manual laborers are not exempt (regardless of their pay).
Understand Your Laws
If you still have questions over federal and state wage laws, you can look into the following:
- Official State Codes
- Federal Wage Law: The Fair Labor Standards Act
- An Experienced Lawyer Qualified in Wage Law
Contact a Lawyer to File an Overtime Claim
Do You Think You Have a Case? Contact Lemberg Law for Counsel
If you feel that an employer has taken advantage of you or someone you care about, please get in touch with the Lemberg Law legal team. Complete our form for a FREE case evaluation, or call 475-277-2200 NOW. You may be entitled to compensation for damages, injuries, or lost wages for Federal and state wage law violations.