Create Your Invoice for Hours Worked for it Effortlessly

Invoice for hours worked for IT

Topic 4: Hours Worked. Do I have to pay for that time? Where it applies, the Fair Labor Standards Act requires employers like Sam to pay their employees at least the federal minimum wage for all the hours that they work. The law includes some very specific rules about what counts as work time. Under the FLSA, if work is performed it counts as hours worked, and the employer must pay for that time. It doesn't matter if work is approved in advance or even requested by the employer. For example, sometimes an employee like Hector may work beyond his scheduled shift. This includes when he stays late to finish cleaning, to complete paperwork, or to count the cash in the register, arrives early to prepare for opening or stays late to cover for Becky (who's sometimes late), or performs before a scheduled shift, after a scheduled shift, or at any other time. Even if the employee isn't punched in or even scheduled to be working counts as work time and must be paid for. Whatever the circumstances that led to the work being done it's Sam's obligation as the employer to keep track of the time her employees are actually working and pay them for all of that time. She cannot simply pay ing to schedule hours and failed to keep track of when her employees are actually beginning and ending their work. If Hector participates in required training, Sam must record and pay for that time as well. In order for time spent in training not to count as hours worked, it must be outside of normal working hours, must be voluntary, cannot be related to the employee's job, and no other productive work can be performed during that time. If the training doesn't meet all of these tests, Hector has to be paid. For example, required online training completed either while at work or at the employee's home is work time. Employers like Sam often have questions about whether they need to pay their workers for time spent on their breaks. There are generally two kinds of breaks: short rest periods, usually 20 minutes or less, and bona fide meal periods, which are typically 30 minutes or more. Because short breaks improve productivity and offer the benefit of the employer, this time counts as hours worked and must be paid for. If Sam's employee Becky takes a bona fide meal period and performs no work for 30 minutes or more then she doesn't have to be paid for that time. But during this time Becky must be completely relieved of her job duties and must not perform any work-related tasks like answering calls at her desk or answering emails while she eats lunch. If a workers meal period is interrupted with those tasks, that time becomes work time and the employer must pay. The FLSA doesn't require Sam to provide breaks for her employees. State laws though may include break requirements after a certain length of a shift or they may require a day off after a certain number of days on duty. Please visit our website for more information on the laws in individual states. When travel time counts as work time is another question employers frequently ask. The time Becky spends commuting from home to work before she starts working and back again at the end of the work day is not time that her employer needs to pay for or record, but when she travels from job site to job site during the work day that's work time. And if she has to report to a meeting place such as the employer's place of business in the morning, then head out to the first work site of the day, time spent in travel to that first work site is hours worked. Similarly, if she must head back to the employers premises from the last work site of the day, that time must also be paid. When employers fail to recognize, record, or otherwise count all of an employee's hours worked, those unpaid hours often lead to minimum wage and or overtime violations. Those violations can result in back wage liability, additional damages due to the employees involved, and even financial penalties to the employer. If you have questions about what counts as hours worked please visit our website: dol.gov/whd or call us at 866-4US-WAGE for more information. All calls are free and confidential.