Overtime Laws in Kansas

The federal baseline (FLSA)

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees in Kansas must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for every hour worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. A workweek is any fixed, repeating block of seven consecutive days — your business picks the start day, but once chosen it has to stay consistent.

Overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period. So even on a bi-weekly payroll, you still total each of the two workweeks separately when figuring out who crossed 40 hours.

Kansas's weekly threshold

Kansas sets its state overtime threshold at 46 hours per week for certain employers. Federal law still applies, so most employees covered by the FLSA are owed overtime after 40 — whichever rule is more generous to the employee governs.

Who is exempt from overtime?

Overtime protections cover non-exempt employees. Workers correctly classified as exempt — typically salaried executive, administrative, and professional roles that meet both a salary threshold and a duties test — generally are not owed overtime. Misclassifying an employee as exempt is one of the most common and expensive wage-and-hour mistakes, so review the duties test, not just the job title.

Independent contractors are not employees and are not covered by overtime rules — but the test for contractor status is strict, and getting it wrong creates back-pay liability.

Official sources

• U.S. DOL — Minimum wage by state
• U.S. DOL — State overtime
• U.S. DOL — State labor offices

More Kansas guides

Overtime laws in other states

Kansas overtime laws: frequently asked questions