Is Overtime Pay Higher Than Normal Wages In Texas?

Originally published by Vethan Law.

As an hourly paid employee, you are entitled to overtime pay as long as you are considered a non-exempt employee. Exempt employees are usually those who earn a yearly salary as opposed to a hourly wage, commissioned salespeople, computer professionals, farmworkers, and more. For more details on exemptions, check out the Department of Labor’s website.

For non-exempt, hourly employees, overtime pay can provide an incredible source of extra income. Not only does it mean that the employee is working more hours, but those hours are paid at a higher rate.

What Qualifies for Overtime?

To earn overtime, an employee must work over 40 hours in a single workweek. If an employee works for 42 hours in a single workweek, the additional 2 hours worked are considered overtime. These two hours are paid at a higher rate in Texas, as well as the rest of the country.

A lot of confusion comes from people misinterpreting overtime as working over eight hours in one day. If you continue at this pace for five days a week, then you will earn overtime. However, working nine hours in a day does not automatically mean that you will receive overtime. Additionally some people mistake working over the weekend or working the night shift as somehow qualifying as overtime hours. This is unfortunately not the case. Overtime comes from the sum total of hours worked in a week that eclipses forty hours.

How Much More do You Earn?

Currently, the overtime pay rate is one and one half your normal rate. This applies to every state in the United States. Unlike minimum wage, there are not any states that have chosen to pay more than time and a half for overtime work. Therefore, if you earn $8 per hour for your standard rate of pay, your overtime rate is $12 per hour.

So to make a long story short and answer the most important question, yes, overtime pay is higher than normal wages in Texas. In fact, it is a lot more.

For any questions regarding minimum wages, contact Vethan Law Firm by calling our Houston office at 713-526-2222, our San Antonio office at 210-824-2220, or our Dallas office at 972-458-2222.

The post Is Overtime Pay Higher Than Normal Wages In Texas? appeared first on Vethan Law Firm.

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