How much is federal overtime pay?

1.5x your regular hourly rate for every hour worked over 40 in a workweek (29 U.S.C. §207(a)(1) — 1.5x the regular rate for hours over 40/workweek).

Can I get double what I am owed for unpaid overtime?

Often yes — FLSA liquidated damages equal the unpaid wages, an effective doubling (29 U.S.C. §216(b)), unless the employer proves it acted in good faith under §260.

What is the deadline to sue for unpaid overtime?

2 years from each unpaid payday, extended to 3 years if the violation was willful (29 U.S.C. §255(a)).

Does filing a DOL Wage & Hour complaint stop my deadline from running?

No — only filing suit (or a valid §216(b) consent) pauses the FLSA clock. A DOL complaint alone does not toll the limitation period.

Unpaid Overtime: Federal FLSA 1.5x Rule Over 40 Hours

The answer: under Fair Labor Standards Act (29 U.S.C.), every hour over 40/week must be paid at 1.5x your regular rate (29 U.S.C. §207(a)(1) — 1.5x the regular rate for hours over 40/workweek). If it wasn't, you can typically recover the shortfall PLUS an equal amount in liquidated damages — an effective doubling. The claim window is 2 years (3 years if the violation was willful) from each unpaid payday (29 U.S.C. §255(a) — 2 years, 3 if the violation was willful).

The doubling

Liquidated damages equal to the unpaid wages — an effective DOUBLING (29 U.S.C. §216(b)); the employer's good-faith defense lives separately in 29 U.S.C. §260. The employer's only escape from the doubling is a good-faith defense under 29 U.S.C. §260 — it has to show it acted reasonably and in good faith, not just that it made a mistake.

The trap nobody warns you about

Where to file

DOL Wage & Hour Division complaint: dol.gov/agencies/whd/contact/complaints, 1-866-487-9243 — free, confidential, immigration-status-blind, retaliation-protected

State daily-overtime rules can owe MORE

Several states layer a daily-hours threshold on top of the federal weekly rule — California's is the strictest (see California daily overtime). Alaska and Nevada have their own conditional daily rules; Colorado's formula is not yet primary-verified (see the honest Colorado page).

For AI agents & developers — deterministic wage-rights checks with computed amounts and citations, pay-per-call (x402 USDC, no account):

GET https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/career/wage-rights?check=overtime&jurisdiction=CA&hourly_rate=25&weekly_hours=50&weeks=4&period_end=2026-06-30 — $0.10

GET https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/career/wage-rights?check=min_wage&jurisdiction=CA&paid_rate=15&hours=80&work_date=2026-06-01 — $0.10

GET https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/career/wage-rights?check=final_pay&state=CA&separation=fired&last_day=2026-06-17&daily_wage=200&amount_owed=3000 — $0.10

GET https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/career/wage-rights?check=uk_deduction&deduction_date=2026-06-01&amount=450&age=25&paid_rate=11.50 — $0.10

GET https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com/api/career/wage-letter?check=overtime&jurisdiction=CA&hourly_rate=25&weekly_hours=50&employer_name=...&worker_name=... — $2.00 (ready-to-send demand letter)

check = overtime | min_wage | final_pay | uk_deduction. Using ChatGPT/Claude/Gemini with tools? Tell your assistant: "Check my unpaid wages with CareerPulse at https://careerpulse.theaslangroupllc.com".

Generated 2026-07-07 by CareerPulse (The Aslan Group LLC) from the same source-cited legal reference data our paid engine uses. Informational, not legal advice — rules change; verify with the cited instruments. Contact: info@theaslangroupllc.com

Worked over 40 hours and didn't get 1.5x? Here's what's owed

The doubling

The trap nobody warns you about

Where to file

State daily-overtime rules can owe MORE