In Kentucky, you deserve to be paid time and a half your standard rate for any overtime hours that you work. This is why some employees are actually happy if their boss tells them that they need to work overtime—because they know they’re going to be significantly compensated for putting in that extra effort.
But when do you actually deserve overtime pay? There are two ways that this is addressed under Kentucky law.
More than 40 hours
To begin with, if you work over 40 hours in a single workweek, then you should be paid overtime for the extra hours. For instance, if you put in 45 hours one week, you would be paid your standard rate for the first 40 hours and then time and a half for the final five.
It’s important to note that this is different from some other states. For instance, California authorizes overtime if you exceed eight hours in a single day. In Kentucky, you would still get your standard rate if you worked nine hours in one day unless it meant that you also exceeded 40 hours in the week.
The seventh day
Finally, Kentucky also authorizes overtime payments if you have to work seven days in a row during the same week. If you do, then all of the hours that you put in on the seventh day should be paid at time and a half your normal rate. This will likely mean that you also exceed 40 hours during the week, but not always, so it’s important to consider how many days you worked in total.
If you run into disputes or feel like you haven’t been paid properly under Kentucky law, take the time to carefully look into the legal options at your disposal.
