Overtime Rules by State & Province

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees earn overtime at 1.5× their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The FLSA has no daily overtime rule, but a handful of states — notably California, Alaska, Colorado, and Nevada — require overtime after a set number of hours in a single day. Where a state rule is stricter, it applies.

California requires overtime after 8 hours in a day (and double-time after 12), Alaska after 8 hours, Colorado after 12 hours, and Nevada after 8 hours for employees earning less than 1.5× the minimum wage. Most other states follow the federal 40-hour weekly rule only. Use the lookup above to check a specific state.

Overtime is set provincially and varies widely. Many provinces use a weekly threshold — 40, 44, or 48 hours — while several western provinces and territories add a daily rule (commonly 8 hours) and pay the greater of the two. British Columbia even adds double-time after 12 hours in a day. Federally regulated workplaces use their own rule. Check your province with the lookup above.

In provinces like Alberta, overtime is owed for hours worked beyond 8 in a day or 44 in a week — whichever is greater — so you do not pay twice for the same hours. This calculator-style lookup shows both the daily and weekly thresholds so you can apply the greater one.

No. It is general information and does not cover every exemption, industry rule, or local variation, and rules change. Always confirm the current requirements with the official government source linked next to each result before running payroll.