General working times are ruled in federal law such as the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA). Additionally, some states have gone beyond federal law and defined rules especially for violations and penalties. We want to give you an overview.

The FLSA has four main components: minimum wage, overtime pay, recordkeeping practices, and child labor provisions. Therefore, the Department of Labor (DOL) offers guidance on how each type of wage should be calculated. Exempted from both federal and state wage and hour laws are large groups of employees. These groups include administrative, professional, and executive employees; workers covered by collective bargaining agreements, public sector employees, independent contractors, farmworkers, seasonal amusement, or recreational workers.

Compliance with the corresponding specifications is investigated by the Wage and Hour Division of the DOL. Violations and Penalties are the responsibility of federal states. Therefore, they differ greatly between, for example, no overtime law in Iowa and triple back-pay penalties in Maryland. Generally, there are a few key components to state wage and hour laws: minimum wage, overtime compensation, meal and rest breaks, and damages for violations.

A comprehensive overview of state regulations can be found on the NCSL’s webpage. Our experts keep an eye on your federal state regulation when installing our Workforce Management solution, so you never have to worry about an incompliancy.