Overtime and compensatory time are managed differently for employees who are in exempt and non-exempt positions as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
EXEMPT POSITIONS:
- Employees in exempt positions are not paid for overtime or given compensatory time.
NON-EXEMPT POSITIONS:
- Effective July 16, 2026, requests to change previously processed time from overtime to compensatory time,
or from compensatory time to overtime, will no longer be approved. Once time has been processed and paid,
the original election will remain in place. If overtime is elected and the payroll deadline for the
applicable pay period has passed, the overtime election will be considered final and may not be
retroactively converted to compensatory time. Likewise, once compensatory time has been elected
and processed, it may not be converted to overtime.
- Provided with overtime pay or compensatory time-off for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
- Workweek begins at 12:01 a.m. Saturday and ends at midnight the following Friday.
- Time absent from the job for vacation, holiday, sick, or other paid leave is not counted as time worked for the purpose of computing overtime hours.
- Compensation for hours worked over 40 in a workweek may either be given as overtime pay or as compensatory time off.
- Both overtime pay and compensatory time off are given at the rate of time and one-half of the regular rate for every overtime hour worked.
- Employees in non-exempt positions must obtain the supervisor’s approval prior to working overtime.
- Employees who work overtime without the supervisor’s approval must be paid for hours worked, but may be subject to disciplinary action, pursuant to Policy 5-111: Corrective Action and Termination Policy for Staff Employees.
- Overtime Pay
- The employee should expect to receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
- A supervisor may offer compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay. However, the employee has the right to accept or decline compensatory time and receive pay at time and one-half. If compensatory time is acceptable to the employee, then the supervisor must ask the employee to sign a Compensatory Time Agreement.
- Compensatory Time
- Compensatory time is recorded in the time and attendance system as it is accrued and as it is taken.
- Actual hours worked and compensatory time taken must be documented.
- The maximum compensatory time that can be accrued is 240 hours. If a non-exempt employee achieves the maximum accrual, resigns, retires, or is discharged at a time when he or she has a balance of unused compensatory time off, the employee will be paid for the unused compensatory time. Payment will be calculated using the current regular rate.
