Small Business Overtime: A Plain-English Guide
What hourly small business owners should know about US overtime rules, plus how to spot risk on your weekly schedule.
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What counts as overtime
Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must be paid 1.5x their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Several states (California, Alaska, Nevada, and others) add daily overtime rules. Always check your state.
Spot overtime on the schedule
ShiftPro totals each employee's projected weekly hours next to their name and turns the number orange when it crosses 40. Catching this on the schedule is far cheaper than catching it on payroll.
How to rebalance
Reassign shifts to employees under 40 hours, post the extra time as an open shift, or trim the shift length. The goal is steady coverage without surprise overtime.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ShiftPro calculate overtime pay?
ShiftPro flags employees projected to cross 40 hours in a week so you can adjust before publishing. It is not a payroll system and does not calculate wages.