Overtime laws by state: all 50 states and DC.
Federal law pays time and a half after 40 hours a week. Some states count the day as well, and a few set their own thresholds — every rule below is checked against that state's own statute or labor department.
Every state's overtime rule
Verified against the US Department of Labor state table, 14 Sep 2026, and each state's own law. 5 states go beyond the federal week.
| State | Overtime starts | State-specific rule |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Alaska | 40 hrs/week | After 8 hrs a day |
| Arizona | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Arkansas | 40 hrs/week | The Four-Employee Rule |
| California | 40 hrs/week | After 8 hrs a day, double time after 12 |
| Colorado | 40 hrs/week | After 12 hrs a day |
| Connecticut | 40 hrs/week | The Seventh-Day Rule |
| Delaware | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| District of Columbia | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Florida | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Georgia | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Hawaii | 40 hrs/week | The $4,000 Rule |
| Idaho | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Illinois | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Indiana | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Iowa | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Kansas | 40 hrs/week | The 46-Hour Rule |
| Kentucky | 40 hrs/week | Seventh-Day Rule |
| Louisiana | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Maine | 40 hrs/week | The 80-Hour Cap |
| Maryland | 40 hrs/week | The 48-Hour Rule |
| Massachusetts | 40 hrs/week | The Exemption List |
| Michigan | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Minnesota | 48 hrs/week | The 48-Hour Rule |
| Mississippi | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Missouri | 40 hrs/week | The 52-Hour Rule |
| Montana | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Nebraska | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Nevada | 40 hrs/week | After 8 hrs a day |
| New Hampshire | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| New Jersey | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| New Mexico | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| New York | 40 hrs/week | Spread of Hours Rule |
| North Carolina | 40 hrs/week | The 45-Hour Rule |
| North Dakota | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Ohio | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Oklahoma | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Oregon | 40 hrs/week | After 10 hrs a day |
| Pennsylvania | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Rhode Island | 40 hrs/week | The Sunday Premium |
| South Carolina | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| South Dakota | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Tennessee | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Texas | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Utah | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Vermont | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Virginia | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Washington | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| West Virginia | 40 hrs/week | The Six-Employee Rule |
| Wisconsin | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
| Wyoming | 40 hrs/week | Weekly only |
Each state name opens its own guide: the rule in full, how the regular rate is worked out, and the date it was checked.
States that count the day, not just the week
In these states a long shift can earn overtime in a week that never reaches 40 hours.
How to read your state's rule
Three things decide what you are owed, in this order. First, the weekly threshold — 40 hours almost everywhere, because no state may set a higher bar for workers federal law covers. Second, any daily rule: four states start overtime partway through a long shift. Third, the regular rate your overtime is multiplied by, which rises when you earn a bonus, a shift differential or a second pay rate in the same week.
That last one is where most underpayments happen, and it is federal, so it applies in every state. The overtime calculator works it out, and each state guide below shows the rule the state adds on top.
Overtime by state: common questions
Which states have daily overtime?
Five: California and Alaska pay time and a half after 8 hours in a day, Colorado after 12, Nevada after 8 for workers earning less than one and a half times the state minimum wage, and Oregon after 10 in mills, factories, canneries and packing plants. California also pays double time past 12 hours.
Is the overtime threshold 40 hours in every state?
Almost. Federal law sets 40 hours as the floor and no state may go above it for workers the federal law covers. A few state statutes carry a higher figure — Kansas 46 hours, Minnesota 48 — but those apply only to employers outside federal coverage, so in practice 40 hours is the line nearly everywhere.
What if my state has no overtime law of its own?
You are still owed overtime. In states without their own statute, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act applies directly: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. The practical difference is where you complain — those states send unpaid overtime to the US Department of Labor rather than handling it themselves.
Does being paid a salary mean no overtime?
No. A salary only matters if the job also meets a federal exemption test, which turns on your duties as well as your pay. Salaried workers in most non-managerial roles are still owed time and a half after 40 hours, and the salary is converted to an hourly rate to work out what that is.
Which law applies if the state and federal rules differ?
Whichever is better for you. An employer covered by both must follow the rule that pays more, so a state daily overtime rule adds to the federal weekly rule rather than replacing it. That is why a long Tuesday in California earns overtime even in a week that never reaches 40 hours.
Related pages
Same rules, different question.