Time Card Calculator

Wages and Overtime

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour at the time of writing (Jan. 2025). In cases where the state in which the employee works also has a minimum wage, the employee is entitled to the higher of the two wages. Most states in the United States have a minimum wage higher than $7.25. Non-exempt employees that are covered by the FLSA are also entitled to an overtime rate at least 1.5 times that of their standard rate for hours worked over 40 hours per workweek (defined as any fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours).

There are also regulations surrounding what constitutes hours worked, as well as regulations governing recordkeeping and child labor.

Exempt vs. non-exempt employees

Most workers are classified as either exempt or non-exempt employees, and are protected by a number of requirements placed by the FLSA. In addition, many states also have wage and hour laws. As such, it is important both as an employer and as an employee to understand one's position.

Non-exempt employees are employees that are entitled to minimum wage as well as overtime pay under the FLSA. Employers are also required to pay these workers an overtime rate of 1.5 times their standard rate when they work more than 40 hours per workweek. A non-exempt employee that is not paid overtime wages can file an FLSA overtime claim through the U.S. Department of Labor. Most workers that are paid an hourly wage fall under this category.

Exempt employees are those that are not protected by the FLSA and are not entitled to overtime pay. Certain job types are exempt by definition, including commissioned sales employees, computer professionals, farm workers, drivers, salesmen, seasonal workers, and those performing executive, administrative, or professional roles.

Brief history of time cards/clocks

Time cards have been used since the late 19th century in the form of clock cards...