Many workers assume that they’re only going to get overtime pay if they exceed 40 hours during the workweek. If they work eight hours every day, they accumulate 40 hours over the course of five days. Therefore, it’s very unlikely that they would receive any overtime pay if they didn’t have a full weekly schedule.
However, this is not how it works in California. While it is true that workers deserve overtime pay if they exceed 40 hours during the week, there are other ways to qualify for it. In some cases, you may be entitled to significant overtime pay increases, even if you only work a single day that week.
Exceeding eight hours
First and foremost, overtime pay in California kicks in after just eight hours. If you worked nine hours on a Monday, it may be the only day you logged at work that week, but you would still deserve time and a half for one hour at the end of the day. You don’t have to exceed 40 total hours in order to get the additional payment—you just have to exceed eight hours in a single day.
Additionally, if you exceed 12 hours during the day, you should receive double your normal wage. For instance, maybe you work just once a week, but you have a 16-hour shift. For the first eight hours, you’d get your normal wage. For the next four, you would be paid time and a half for overtime. But then, for the final four, you would receive double your regular wages.
If your employer has only been paying you your standard wage, you’re being severely underpaid. Take the time to look into all of your legal options.