What are California’s overtime pay rules?

California’s overtime laws are more generous to employees than federal law. Under the California Labor Code:

• Employees are entitled to 1.5x their regular rate for hours worked beyond 8 hours in a day or 40 hours in a week
• Employees are entitled to 2x their regular rate for hours worked beyond 12 hours in a day or beyond 8 hours on the 7th consecutive day worked in a workweek

These rules apply to most non-exempt employees. Exempt employees (generally salaried workers in executive, administrative, or professional roles earning at least 2x the state minimum wage) are not entitled to overtime. However, many employers misclassify employees as exempt to avoid paying overtime — a common wage and hour violation.

If your employer is not paying you proper overtime, you may be entitled to back pay, penalties, interest, and attorney’s fees.