- Colorado workers are entitled to specific compensation for overtime.Time to work, clock-face and money background image by Nikolai Sorokin from Fotolia.com
Working overtime is just part of the regular routine for some employees, but they typically agree to do it because of the extra compensation they receive. Many hourly employees fall under the scope of federal overtime laws, but each state has its own version of overtime laws that differ slightly from one another. If you work in Colorado, you should know when you qualify for overtime compensation based on local labor laws. - Colorado labor laws mirror the federal overtime standards when it comes to maximum hours during the workweek. Any qualifying employee who works a cumulative weekly total of more than 40 hours is entitled to 1.5 times his normal pay rate.
The 40-hour maximum begins on the first day of the employer's weekly schedule and extends for seven complete days. The employer's start of the workweek must be on the same calendar day of the week consistently. - Colorado workers can collect overtime pay even when they do not work more than 40 hours in a week. In fact, they can begin collecting overtime on the 13th hour on the job. Unlike the weekly standard overtime law, Colorado also enforces a daily work maximum. Any worker who works a single shift longer than 12 hours is entitled to 1.5 times the normal pay rate for all work done beyond the 12-hour mark.
The 12-hour law is even in effect if the worker's time is spread over two workdays. In other words, if the worker comes in at 5 p.m. and works through the night and doesn't get off until 7 a.m., the worker is entitled to two hours of overtime despite the fact that the work was actually done on two different calendar days. This prevents employers from escaping the obligation through creative scheduling. - The workweek, as it relates to overtime laws, is any seven-day period that starts with the same calendar day each week. This fixed set of days on the employer's schedule is the specific time in which the hours will be counted to determine overtime eligibility.
Employers are not allowed to average the total amount of hours worked in two consecutive weeks to determine overtime for the corresponding pay period, according to the Colorado Department of Labor website. - Some Colorado employees are simply not eligible for overtime compensation. No matter how many hours they work, there is no extra pay for the time spent. This is typical of salary-based jobs and most employees know from the onset that this is the case.
Other types of employment not covered by overtime law includes executive and professional positions, many administrative jobs, outside sales, jobs in the computer industry and some jobs with above average pay rates.
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