Understanding FLSA overtime requirements
The Fair Labor Standards Act ("FLSA") requires the payment of 1.5 times an employee's normal hourly rate for each hour worked in excess of 40 hours in any workweek. FLSA's overtime requirements remain a critical cornerstone of employment law, yet they continue to be one of the most frequent sources of litigation for both employers and employees in 2026. At Stavros Law, we recognize that the landscape of wage and hour compliance is often shaped by a misunderstanding of the fundamental rule of the FLSA: unless specifically classified as exempt, every employee must receive overtime pay for all hours worked exceeding 40 in a single workweek at a rate no less than 1.5 times their regular pay. It is equally important for both parties to understand what FLSA does not require. For instance, federal law does not mandate extra pay for weekend or night work, nor does it require payment for time not worked, such as vacations, sick leave, or holidays. These benefits, along with ...