Many hourly employees in California are not aware of their rights. Here are some basic questions and answers.
Q. When does my employer have to pay me overtime?
A. Most hourly employees who work more than 40 hours in a week or more than 8 hours in a day should get overtime pay. If you are 16 or 17 and not required by law to be in school then this law applies to you. If you are over 18 and working for a business this law applies to you.
Q. How much is overtime pay in California?
A. Any day that you work over 8 hours you should receive one and half times your regular hourly rate for any hours you work over 8 hours up to 12 hours.
- If you work longer than 12 hours in a day, then any hour you work over 12 hours is to be paid at double your regular hourly rate.
- So if you work from 6 AM to 8PM then you should get paid your regular rate from 6AM to 2 PM, and time and a half for the time from 2PM to 6PM.
- Then, you should receive double time for the two hours from 6PM- 8PM because those 2 hours are 2 hours more than 12 hours of work time in one day. Breaks are also required, and will be addressed in a forthcoming blog post.
Q. Do I get more pay if I work 7 days in a row?
A. Yes. On your seventh consecutive day of working you should get double your regular hourly rate for any hours you work over 8 hours. So if you work Monday through Sunday, and you work 10 hours on that Sunday, then those 2 hours over 8 hours are paid at double your regular rate.