State Wage Tools
All Alabama tools

Alabama has no independent state overtime law; covered workers use the federal FLSA overtime rule after 40 hours in a workweek, with the state source linked here confirming the state-law posture.Source

Calculate Alabama overtime pay

Enter one workweek. The calculator uses straight-time pay for all hours, then adds only the extra overtime premium for hours that qualify.

Daily hours

Alabama overtime rule used by this calculator

Alabama has no independent state overtime law in the verified registry source, so covered workers use the federal FLSA weekly-40 overtime rule. The page cites the state source that establishes that posture instead of implying a separate state rule exists.

Basic formula

straight-time pay = total hours × hourly rate regular rate = (straight-time pay + includable pay) ÷ total hours overtime premium = premium hours × regular rate × (1.5 − 1) gross pay = straight-time pay + includable pay + overtime premium

Worked example

Alabama: weekly overtime only

45 hours at a single hourly rate weekly overtime hours = 45 − 40overtime premium = premium hours × regular rate × (1.5 − 1)

What this does not determine

Sources and verification

This page reads the overtime threshold, multiplier, special daily/seventh-day flags, coverage cautions, and source URL from src/data/states.json. The visible source for this page is the verified registry source. Automated tests cover the state's distinctive branch, weekly math, non-stacking of premium hours, and visible result rendering.

Alabama and federal overtime: why there is no state statute to cite

Alabama is one of a small number of states that have enacted no wage and hour legislation of any kind. The Alabama Department of Labor's own Wage and Hour Information sheet states verbatim: "Alabama does not have any state laws governing wage and hour issues." That means there is no Alabama overtime statute, no Alabama minimum wage statute, and no Alabama-specific enforcement mechanism for private-sector wage claims — only the federal Fair Labor Standards Act governs.

In practice, this means the only statute you need to know is 29 U.S.C. § 207, which requires time-and-a-half pay for nonexempt employees after 40 hours in a workweek. The Alabama Department of Labor (labor.alabama.gov) handles certain workplace matters but refers all minimum-wage and overtime complaints directly to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, since there is no state-level authority to file a wage claim under.

How does this compare to neighboring states? Georgia's O.C.G.A. Title 34, Chapter 4 sets a $5.15 state minimum wage — still below the FLSA floor, but Georgia at least has an independent statutory framework. Mississippi, to the west, mirrors Alabama entirely: no state minimum wage and no state overtime law. By contrast, Tennessee has no state minimum wage but has the Tennessee Wage Regulation Act (T.C.A. § 50-2-103), which gives workers a state-law avenue for final paycheck disputes that Alabama workers lack.

Who is covered in Alabama? FLSA coverage depends on employer size and commerce: an enterprise employing two or more workers whose annual gross volume of sales or business is $500,000 or more is typically covered. Individual coverage also applies to workers engaged in interstate commerce or producing goods for it. Workers at smaller employers below the enterprise threshold who are not individually engaged in interstate commerce may fall outside the FLSA entirely — and since Alabama has no parallel state statute, those workers have no state-law fallback.

Because Alabama has no state wage-claim process, overtime violations in Alabama must be pursued directly with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division or through a private FLSA lawsuit. The FLSA provides a 2-year statute of limitations for non-willful violations and 3 years for willful violations, plus liquidated damages equal to the unpaid wages when the employer cannot show good faith.

Common questions

Does Alabama have a state overtime law?

No. Alabama has enacted no wage and hour statutes of any kind for private-sector employees. The Alabama Department of Labor's own informational materials state this explicitly. Federal FLSA overtime rules — time-and-a-half after 40 hours — apply through federal law, not a parallel state statute.

Where do I file an overtime complaint in Alabama?

Because Alabama has no state overtime law, complaints go directly to the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. Alabama workers cannot file a state-agency wage claim the way workers in states with their own statutes can. You can also file a private lawsuit under the federal FLSA.

Can an Alabama employer pay overtime only if they want to?

No — if the employer is covered by the federal FLSA (which applies to most employers with $500,000 or more in annual sales or with workers engaged in interstate commerce), overtime pay for nonexempt employees after 40 hours is legally required. The absence of a state statute does not give Alabama employers any extra flexibility; they must follow federal law.

What happens to Alabama workers at very small employers not covered by FLSA?

Workers at small employers below the federal enterprise threshold who are not individually engaged in interstate commerce may not be covered by the FLSA. Because Alabama has no independent wage statute, those workers have no state-law overtime right. This gap is one reason Alabama is sometimes described as having the weakest wage-and-hour protection of any state.