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Explaining who is responsible for tracking overtime hours

On Behalf of | Apr 17, 2019 | Wage & Hour Laws |

If you work in a profession that provides overtime pay, who is responsible for tracking the overtime hours? Many employees believe or are led to believe, that they are the ones responsible for tracking their overtime hours. This cannot be further from the truth. Today, we will take a look at who is responsible for tracking overtime hours, so you have a clear understanding of your role at work.

The law in the United States that governs overtime pay also requires employers to track your overtime hours. The same law then requires your employer to pay you an overtime wage, which is one and a half times your regular rate when you work more than 40 hours in a single week.

So, how does your employer track your overtime hours? With most companies going completely digital and moving away from paperwork, your employer likely has some type of software program either developed in-house or purchased from a third-party company. This program should track your hours worked by having a time clock feature.

If your employer does not track overtime hours digitally there still needs to be some form of tracking system in place. This can be the use of timecards, paper timesheets, an old-fashioned time clock or any other system used by your employer.

Tracking overtime hours is the responsibility of your employer. Nowhere in your job description should it say that you are to track your own hours. Your employer should have an electronic tracking system in place that automatically tracks overtime hours based on when employees clock in and out of the system.