When Do Employers Have to Pay Overtime?

Employees must be paid at least 1 ½ times their regular hourly rate of pay for every hour that they actually work over 40 hours in a workweek. A workweek is defined under federal law as any 7 consecutive days or 168 consecutive hours. Although the workweek does not have to be Monday through Sunday, it must be consistent, employees must be made aware of it, and an employer may not change it to avoid paying overtime.