Do Part-Time Employees Get Overtime?
Part-time status changes nothing about overtime law. The FLSA has one trigger — hours over 40 in a workweek — and it applies whether someone is scheduled for 15 hours or 40.
The rule
A non-exempt employee earns 1.5× their regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek, period. A part-timer who normally works 20 hours but covers shifts up to 43 hours in one week is owed 3 hours of overtime that week.
There's no federal requirement to pay extra just for exceeding someone's usual schedule — going from 20 to 35 hours is simply 35 hours of straight time.
State wrinkles
Daily-overtime states change the math: in California, a part-timer who works a single 10-hour day is owed 2 hours at time-and-a-half that day, even in a 25-hour week. Alaska, Colorado, and Nevada have daily rules too.
Why this bites employers
Part-time overtime usually appears during coverage crunches — someone picks up shifts across two stores or roles and quietly crosses 40 combined hours. Hours for one employer aggregate across locations and positions, so track time in one system, not per-location spreadsheets.
FAQ
How many hours can a part-time employee work without overtime?
Up to 40 hours in the workweek under federal law. Daily-overtime states like California add a per-day trigger (over 8 hours).
Do part-time employees get time and a half on holidays?
Not by law — holiday premium pay is an employer policy, not a federal requirement, for part-time and full-time alike.
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