{"id":4714,"date":"2016-04-04T10:47:40","date_gmt":"2016-04-04T15:47:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/federal-wage-law-the-fair-labor-standards-act.html"},"modified":"2024-06-06T05:04:11","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T10:04:11","slug":"federal-wage-law-the-fair-labor-standards-act","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/smallbusiness\/employment-law-and-human-resources\/federal-wage-law-the-fair-labor-standards-act.html","title":{"rendered":"Federal Wage Law: The Fair Labor Standards Act"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30  wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 fl-sectionWithSidebar fl-container fl-flex fl-flex-wrap fl-gap30\">\n    \n    <div class=\"fl-section-main fl-page-articles fl-section-main fl-section-main-full-width\">\n        <h1 class=\"fl-no-margin-top\">Federal Wage Law: The Fair Labor Standards Act<\/h1>\n<section class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline\">\n    <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-content\">\n                    By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/melissa-mccall-j-d\/\">Melissa McCall, J.D.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by <a\n                href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/melissa-bender-esq\/\">Melissa Bender, Esq.<\/a>\n                | Last updated\n        <time>\n                            June 06, 2024\n                    <\/time>\n    <\/div>\n\n            <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-editorial-note fl-text-sm\">\n            <p>Editorial Note: We earn a commission from affiliate partner links on FindLaw. Commissions do not affect the editorial integrity of our legal content.<\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    \n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-legally-reviewed\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Legally Reviewed\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team.html\">FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/company-history\/editorial-policy.html\">our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n\n    <details class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle fl-gutenberg-byline-fast-checked\">\n        <summary>\n            <i class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-icon\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n            Fact-Checked\n        <\/summary>\n\n        <div class=\"fl-gutenberg-byline-toggle-content\">\n            <p><em>The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/company\/our-team\/contributing-authors.html\">contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please <a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/?fli=bylinelink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <\/details>\n<\/section>\n<p>It&#8217;s imperative that companies, especially small businesses, know and understand basic labor laws, including fair wage laws. Failure to comply with federal and state labor laws, like the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/wages-and-benefits\/flsa-reference-guide.html\">Fair Labor Standards Act<\/a>&nbsp;(FLSA) can lead to costly investigations and legal action. This can threaten the small business&#8217; financial health. Awareness of these laws can help small business owners with compliance.<\/p>\r\n<p>This Findlaw article offers an overview of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) for small businesses.<\/p>\r\n<h2>The Fair Labor Standards Act<\/h2>\r\n<p>Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in 1938 to offer minimum protections for American workers. The Act establishes minimum standards for part-time and full-time workers in the public and private sectors in the following areas:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Minimum wage<\/li>\r\n<li>Overtime pay<\/li>\r\n<li>Recordkeeping<\/li>\r\n<li>Child labor standards<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) administers the FLSA, among other labor and employment laws, including, but not limited to, the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/family-medical-leave\/family-and-medical-leave-act.html\">Family and Medical Leave Act<\/a>&nbsp;of 1993 (FMLA)<\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/workplace-safety\/workplace-safety-osha-and-osh-act-overview.html#:~:text=The%20primary%20law%20covering%20worker,both%20employers%20and%20their%20employees.\">Occupational and Health Safety<\/a>&nbsp;Act of 1970 (OSH Act)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>While these federal laws broadly aim to protect American workers, the FLSA focuses on wage, recordkeeping, and child labor.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Minimum Wage<\/h2>\r\n<p>The FLSA requires a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/wages-and-benefits\/minimum-wage-and-overtime-basics.html\">federal minimum wage<\/a>&nbsp;of $7.25 per hour for covered &quot;non-exempt&quot; workers. Non-exempt workers don&#8217;t qualify for an exemption under the FLSA.<\/p>\r\n<p>If a non-exempt worker puts in more than 40 hours in a workweek, the FLSA requires overtime pay. Overtime pay must be at least one and a half times the employee&#8217;s regular rate. This is often called &quot;time and a half.&quot;<\/p>\r\n<h2>Fair Labor Standards Act Coverage<\/h2>\r\n<p>As a small business owner, you should know if your business is &quot;covered&quot; by the FLSA, meaning your company must adhere to its rules. The DOL&#8217;s Wage and Hour Division&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/whd\/fact-sheets\/14-flsa-coverage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">identifies two main ways the FLSA protects employees<\/a>: enterprise coverage and individual coverage.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Enterprise Coverage<\/h3>\r\n<p>Companies with at least two employees and annual sales of at least $500,000 or one of the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Hospitals<\/li>\r\n<li>Schools (including preschools)<\/li>\r\n<li>State and local government agencies<\/li>\r\n<li>Businesses providing medical or nursing care for inpatient residents<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3>Individual Coverage<\/h3>\r\n<p>Individual employees whose work regularly involves them engaging in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/dictionary.findlaw.com\/definition\/interstate-commerce.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interstate commerce<\/a>. For example, consider a telemarketer in San Jose, California, who calls consumers in Washington, D.C. The telemarketer regularly participates in interstate commerce.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Domestic Workers<\/h3>\r\n<p>The FLSA also covers certain domestic service workers. Domestic service workers provide services for an individual or family at their home, for example:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Housekeepers<\/li>\r\n<li>Drivers<\/li>\r\n<li>Personal chefs<\/li>\r\n<li>Nannies<\/li>\r\n<li>Gardeners<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>These workers are protected by the FLSA if they earn at least $1,000 from one employer in a calendar year or if they work more than eight hours a week for one or more employers.<\/p>\r\n<h3>Tipped Employees<\/h3>\r\n<p>Under the FLSA, &quot;tipped employees&quot; are people who regularly receive more than $30 monthly in&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/wages-and-benefits\/tipped-employees-under-the-flsa.html\">tips<\/a>. Federal law allows employers to consider tips part of these employees&#8217; wages. But they must pay at least $2.13 per hour in direct wages.<\/p>\r\n<p>Employers who choose the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/whd\/fact-sheets\/15-tipped-employees-flsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tip credit<\/a>&nbsp;must:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Inform employees in advance of the pay rate<\/li>\r\n<li>Demonstrate that the employee&#8217;s tips plus their direct wage are equal to at least the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>If the employee&#8217;s combined wages don&#8217;t equal the minimum hourly wage, the employer must make up the difference.<\/p>\r\n<p>Keep in mind that many states and cities set their minimum wage above what is required by federal law.<\/p>\r\n<h2>FLSA Exemptions<\/h2>\r\n<p>Not all employees enjoy the FLSA&#8217;s protections. The minimum wage and overtime pay protections of the FLSA don&#8217;t apply to exempt employees. The FLSA narrowly defines exemptions to these provisions, which include, but are not limited to, the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Exemptions from minimum wage and overtime pay (this includes executive, administrative, and professional employees)<\/li>\r\n<li>Exemptions from overtime pay only<\/li>\r\n<li>Partial exemptions from overtime pay<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Small business owners and employers should carefully consider the conditions for these exemptions.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Child Labor Laws<\/h2>\r\n<p>The FLSA contains specific&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/whd\/child-labor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">child labor<\/a>&nbsp;provisions designed to protect the overall well-being of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/employment\/wages-and-benefits\/wage-and-hour-laws-for-minors-and-teens.html\">minors<\/a>. Through these laws, the FLSA ensures that minors don&#8217;t work in unsafe spaces and that their work doesn&#8217;t jeopardize their education. One way in which child labor laws protect minors is through regulating the number of hours minors can work in a workweek.<\/p>\r\n<p>The FLSA considers the agricultural and non-agricultural positions that children may perform. It limits the age, hours, and times children can work in these positions. For example, 14 is the minimum age for most non-farm work. But children of any age may do the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Deliver newspapers<\/li>\r\n<li>Perform in theater, radio, or television<\/li>\r\n<li>Work for their parents in the parent&#8217;s solely-owned non-farm business<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Parents can employ their minor children of any age, at any time, on a farm owned or operated by their parents. Be sure to check your state&#8217;s child labor laws for more information.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Recordkeeping<\/h2>\r\n<p>The FLSA also regulates<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/whd\/fact-sheets\/21-flsa-recordkeeping\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">&nbsp;the recordkeeping<\/a>&nbsp;of specific employment information. Under the FLSA, employers must keep records of the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Wage information<\/li>\r\n<li>Hours<\/li>\r\n<li>Wage payment<\/li>\r\n<li>Employee&#8217;s full name and contact information<\/li>\r\n<li>Employees birth date (if they&#8217;re under 19 years of age)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Most employers keep this information as part of their regular business practices. If you&#8217;re a small business owner, consider developing business practices that capture and record this information.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Enforcement<\/h2>\r\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/agencies\/whd\/flsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Wage and Hour Division<\/a>&nbsp;of the DOL enforces the FLSA. This Division will conduct investigations and other fact-finding techniques to determine if an employer complies with the Act.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Division uses the following tools to enforce the Act:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>DOL recovery of back wages through lawsuit<\/li>\r\n<li>Employee recovery of back wages through a lawsuit<\/li>\r\n<li>Monetary penalties<\/li>\r\n<li>Criminal prosecution (for willful violations of the FLSA)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>Employers can&#8217;t fire or otherwise retaliate against an employee for filing a complaint or participating in an FLSA investigation.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Equal Pay Amendment<\/h2>\r\n<p>Congress has amended the FLSA many times since 1938. The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/sites\/dolgov\/files\/OASAM\/legacy\/files\/20180326-Equal-Pay-for-Equal-Work.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Equal Pay Act of 1963<\/a>&nbsp;is one significant amendment. The FLSA&#8217;s equal pay provisions prohibit gender-based wage discrimination for jobs requiring the following:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li>Equal effort<\/li>\r\n<li>Equal skill<\/li>\r\n<li>Equal or similar working conditions<\/li>\r\n<li>Equal responsibility<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p>The&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eeoc.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Equal Employment Opportunity Commission<\/a>&nbsp;enforces wage and other types of employment discrimination.<\/p>\r\n<h2>Get Legal Help<\/h2>\r\n<p>Although federal employment and labor laws are vast and complex, small business owners aren&#8217;t alone. A small business attorney can help. They can help educate you on state laws and ensure you don&#8217;t violate employee rights. They&#8217;re experts in many areas of small business law. Speak to an experienced&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lawyers.findlaw.com\/employment-law-employer\/?fli=dcta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">small business attorney<\/a>&nbsp;near you today.<\/p>\r\n<div class=\"was-this-helpful\">\n    <div\n            class=\"was-this-helpful__question-container\"\n            aria-labelledby=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n            role=\"group\"\n    >\n        <span\n                id=\"was-this-helpful__question\"\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__question fl-text-lg-bold\"\n        >Was this helpful?<\/span>\n        <button\n                class=\"was-this-helpful__button fl-text-sm\"\n                aria-label=\"Yes\"\n                value=\"yes\"\n        >\n            <span class=\"was-this-helpful__button-text fl-text-bold\">Yes<\/span>\n            <i class=\"was-this-helpful__button-icon\">\n                <svg width=\"22\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 22 22\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n    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<fieldset>\n                    <legend class=\"was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\" tabindex=\"0\">Why was this not helpful?<\/legend>\n                    <div class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message\" role=\"status\">\n                        <p class=\"was-this-helpful__choose-option-message-text\"><\/p>\n                    <\/div>\n                    <div class=\"fl-radio-button-field fl-flex was-this-helpful__feedback-form-title\">\n                        <input\n                                id=\"was-this-helpful__radio-button--missing-info\"\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-input\"\n                                type=\"radio\"\n                                name=\"negative-feedback\"\n                                value=\"Missing Information\"\n                        >\n                        <label\n                                class=\"fl-radio-button-field-label fl-text-sm was-this-helpful__radio-label\"\n               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