Are You Being Paid What You’re Owed for Overtime? Here's What to Know.

Putting in extra hours at work? You may assume every bit of your time is reflected in your paycheck—but that’s not always the case.

While many employers work hard to comply with wage and hour laws, complexities in classification and timekeeping can lead to errors or oversights. In some cases, employees may not realize they are entitled to overtime pay—or that they are not being paid correctly for it.

Common wage and hour issues that can affect overtime pay include:

• Miscalculated overtime rates

• Incorrect classification of employees as “exempt” from overtime

• Gaps in tracking or reporting overtime hours

  
  

It is also a common misconception that salaried employees are never entitled to overtime pay. In reality, some salaried workers do qualify depending on the nature of their role and responsibilities.

Additional situations that may lead to unpaid overtime include:

• Performing work “off the clock”

• Rounding of time entries that consistently benefits the employer

• Regularly staying late or working through breaks

• Responding to emails or doing job-related tasks after hours or on days off

  
  

So how can you protect yourself?

Start by keeping a personal record of your hours, reviewing your pay statements, and knowing your rights under state and federal wage laws. If you have questions or suspect something might be off, the employment attorneys at Squires Legal Group can help.

Time is ticking—damages may be limited by statutes of limitations, so call Squires and Ryan at (813) 922-2803 today to protect your rights!