The rule in Arizona
In Arizona, hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times your regular rate. There is no general daily limit, so a 12-hour day inside a 36-hour week earns no overtime.
The US Department of Labor's state table adds: “No state overtime provision listed. FLSA governs.”
What counts toward your regular rate
Overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate of pay: everything you earned for the week at straight time, divided by every hour you worked.
Counts
- Your hourly pay for every hour worked, at each rate you worked
- Non-discretionary bonuses — attendance, production, safety, or any bonus promised in advance
- Commissions
- Shift differentials for nights, weekends or hazardous work
Does not count
- Discretionary bonuses and gifts, where both the fact and the amount were up to the employer
- Expense reimbursements
- Pay for time not worked: vacation, holidays, sick days
A worked example
Common mistakes employers make in Arizona
- Paying the federal minimum wage in Arizona. The state rate is $15.15 an hour from 1 January 2026 and rises every January with the cost of living; a tipped worker's cash wage may be no more than $3.00 below it.
- Skipping paid sick time. Arizona workers earn an hour for every 30 hours worked — usable up to 40 hours a year at employers with 15 or more staff, 24 hours below that — though a new hire can be made to wait 90 days before using it.
- Telling a worker the state will handle an unpaid overtime claim. The Industrial Commission of Arizona enforces minimum wage, paid sick time and wage payment, but not overtime, which goes to the US Department of Labor.
Other Arizona pay rules worth knowing
- Final paycheck if fired: Within 7 business days of your last day or by your next regular payday, whichever comes first.
- If you quit: By your next regularly scheduled payday. The date depends on your pay schedule, not on when you left.
- Unused PTO: Arizona does not require a vacation payout by statute, but pay you had a reasonable expectation of receiving counts as wages. If a policy or contract promised the payout, it can be claimed — the state's wage claim form covers vacation.
- Late final pay: Arizona has no daily penalty. If the employer fails to pay wages due, you can recover three times the unpaid wages in a civil action (A.R.S. § 23-355), and breaking the final pay rule is also a petty offence.
Arizona final paycheck law and deadline calculator →
Arizona overtime: common questions
Does my employer have to pay overtime if they didn't approve it?
Yes. Time your employer knew you were working, or allowed you to work, counts as hours worked, whether or not anyone approved it in advance. An employer can discipline you for breaking an overtime policy, but it still has to pay overtime for those hours — in Arizona as everywhere else under federal law.
Does my bonus change my overtime rate?
Yes, if the bonus is non-discretionary — promised for attendance, production, safety or hitting a target. It is added to your straight-time pay and divided by all the hours you worked, and your overtime is 1.5 times that higher rate. Discretionary gifts, expense reimbursements and paid time off are left out.
Does Arizona have its own overtime law?
No. Arizona has no state overtime provision, so the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets the rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, with no daily limit. The federal law covers most employers — any business with $500,000 or more in annual sales, plus hospitals, schools and government agencies.
What is a workweek, and can my employer change it?
A workweek is a fixed, recurring block of seven consecutive 24-hour days, and it can start on any day and at any hour. Overtime is counted per workweek, never averaged across two, even when you are paid every two weeks. Your employer can change the start day, but only permanently and not to avoid paying overtime.
If you think you were underpaid
- Keep your own record of the hours you worked — the time card calculator totals them and exports a CSV — plus photos of the posted schedule and messages about shifts.
- Ask your employer in writing to correct the pay. Email beats a conversation because it creates a dated record.
- File a wage claim — File an Unpaid Wage Claim with the Industrial Commission of Arizona within 1 year of the wages becoming due; the claim is shared with your employer and cannot be kept confidential. It is free, and you do not need a lawyer.
- Federal overtime claims must generally be brought within 2 years of the underpayment, or 3 years if the violation was willful.
Spotted something wrong? Report an error.
Other states that also follow the 40-hour weekly rule with nothing added: Alabama, Delaware and District of Columbia.
Work across a state line? California overtime rules and Nevada overtime rules.