## What is the federal minimum wage?
The federal minimum wage is **$7.25 per hour**, unchanged since July 24, 2009.

Many states set a higher minimum. When state and federal minimums both apply, you are entitled to **whichever is higher**.

## How is overtime pay calculated?
Most employees must be paid **one and a half times their regular rate** for every hour worked beyond **40 in a workweek**.

The workweek is a fixed, recurring period of 168 hours. Averaging hours across two weeks to avoid overtime is not allowed.

## Are salaried employees exempt from overtime pay?
Being salaried does **not** by itself make you exempt. Many salaried workers are still owed overtime.

An employee is exempt only when they meet **both a salary test and a duties test**: paid above the salary threshold, and doing genuinely executive, administrative, professional, or outside sales work.

A job title alone never decides this. What matters is what the work actually involves and how the person is paid.

## What is the minimum wage for tipped employees?
An employer may pay a cash wage as low as **$2.13 per hour** if tips bring the total to at least **$7.25 per hour**.

If tips fall short, **the employer must make up the difference**.

## What wage and hour records must an employer keep?
For each employee: name, address, date of birth, occupation, hours worked each day and week, regular hourly rate, overtime earnings, and total wages per pay period.

Payroll records must be kept for **at least three years**.

## What are the rules on child labor?
The law limits the hours and the kinds of work people **under 18** may do.

Children **under 14** generally cannot be employed in non-agricultural jobs, and hazardous occupations are barred until **18**.

## Does the law require equal pay for equal work?
Yes. The Equal Pay Act requires **equal pay for men and women doing substantially equal work** in the same establishment.

A pay difference is lawful only when based on seniority, merit, quantity or quality of output, or a factor other than sex.

## Do part-time workers have the same rights as full-time workers?
Federal wage law does not distinguish part-time from full-time. **Minimum wage and overtime protections apply the same way**, whatever your hours.

There is no federal definition of "full-time" for wage purposes, and no federal requirement to provide paid leave, health insurance, or holidays to either group. Those come from your employer, your contract, or state law.

If you work more than **40 hours in a week**, you are owed overtime even if your job is labelled part-time.

## Am I entitled to breaks or a lunch period?
Federal law does **not require** meal or rest breaks.

But if your employer offers **short breaks (usually 5 to 20 minutes)**, those must be **paid** and counted as hours worked. Genuine meal periods, typically 30 minutes or more, need not be paid when you are fully relieved of duty.

Many states do require breaks. Check your state rules.

## When must I receive my final paycheck after leaving a job?
Also asked: quitting, quit, resigned, last paycheck, after leaving, when do I get paid after I leave
Federal law sets **no deadline** for a final paycheck. It requires only that you be paid for all hours worked, by the next regular payday.

**State law usually sets the deadline**, and some states require payment on the last day of work.

## Can my employer make me work overtime?
Yes. Federal law puts **no limit on the hours** an adult employee can be required to work in a week, and an employer may make overtime a condition of the job.

What the law requires is that you are **paid time and a half** for hours beyond 40. Refusing mandatory overtime can be grounds for dismissal.

## Can my employer change my schedule or cut my hours without notice?
Also asked: telling me, cut my hours, reduce hours, shift changed, roster changed, short notice
Under federal law, generally **yes**. There is no federal requirement for advance notice of schedule changes, and hours may be reduced.

A few cities and states have "predictive scheduling" laws for retail and food service that require notice or extra pay.

## Can I be paid as an independent contractor instead of an employee?
Only if you genuinely are one. **The label on your contract does not decide it**; the reality of the working relationship does.

Misclassifying an employee as a contractor to avoid minimum wage and overtime is unlawful. If the business controls how, when, and where you work, you are likely an **employee** and owed those protections.

## Can my employer deduct money from my paycheck?
Deductions for things like cash shortages, broken equipment, or uniforms are **not allowed if they push your pay below the minimum wage** for that week, or cut into overtime pay.

Taxes, court-ordered garnishments, and deductions you authorised for your own benefit are treated differently.

## What can I do if my employer has not paid me?
You can file a complaint with the **Wage and Hour Division** of the Department of Labor, or bring a private lawsuit.

Claims generally must be brought **within two years**, extended to **three years** for a willful violation. It is illegal for an employer to retaliate against you for making a wage complaint.