Federal law sets a floor: the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires a $7.25 minimum wage and time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek. But most of what determines your paycheck happens above that floor, in state law — daily overtime, higher minimum wages, meal-break premiums, final-paycheck deadlines, and paid sick leave that the FLSA never mentions. Each guide below explains one of those rules in plain language, then points you to the calculator that does the math for your state.
How Overtime Pay Actually WorksTime-and-a-half, the 40-hour workweek, and the daily-overtime states that break the federal pattern.Daily vs. Weekly Overtime: Why Your State MattersMost states pay overtime after 40 hours a week. A handful pay it after 8 hours a day — and it changes your check.When Is My Final Paycheck Due?Fired vs. quit, next-payday vs. same-day, and the penalty clocks that start when an employer is late.Minimum Wage: Federal Floor, State Rates, and Local OrdinancesWhy $7.25 is only the starting point, and how city and county rates can stack on top of a state rate.Meal and Rest Breaks: What the Law RequiresThe federal rule (there almost isn’t one), the states that mandate breaks, and premium pay for missed breaks.How the Tip Credit Works — and Where It Doesn’t ExistWhy a tipped worker’s cash wage can be below minimum wage in some states and never in others.The "Regular Rate": Why Overtime Isn’t Just Your Hourly WageBonuses, commissions, and shift differentials change the number your overtime is calculated from.Exempt vs. Non-Exempt: Are You Actually Owed Overtime?The salary test, the duties test, and why a salary alone doesn’t make you exempt.Your Paycheck Looks Wrong. Here’s What to Do.A step-by-step path from "this looks off" to a documented wage claim with your state agency.Which State’s Wage Law Applies When You Work in Two?Remote work, multi-state routes, and the general rule for whose overtime law governs your hours.