California employees who work extra hours may be entitled to overtime pay. An eligible employee may be entitled to one and one-half or double their income when they work overtime.
Certain employees who work more than 8 hours in a workday or 40 hours in a workweek or works 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day in a workweek can potentially earn one and one-half their typical income. Working more than 12 hours in a workday or on the seventh consecutive day in a workweek can net an employee double their income.
It is important to understand how much you’ve earned if you’ve worked overtime and are owed compensation accordingly.
Why should you know about overtime laws?
California laws require employers to pay their nonexempt employees overtime wages when they exceed their work hours. However, many employers refuse to pay their employees. Unpaid overtime can be considered wage theft.
Employers may use illegal or unethical methods to avoid paying overtime to their employees. A few examples of how employers effectively steal overtime pay from their employees are most commonly worth considering:
- An employer asked their employee to work off-the-clock
- An employer altered how much time an employee worked
- An employee is misclassified as exempt from overtime pay
- An employee is misclassified as an independent contractor
If an employer is keeping workers from their earned overtime pay, employees can file a wage theft claim. A wage theft claim can help employees recover unpaid money owed by an employer. Before filing a wage theft claim, employees may need to reach out for professional legal guidance. Legal guidance can help employees gather documents that support a claim and work to recover the full amount of stolen income.