Wage-board overtime, Sunday rates, and other premium pay

5 U.S.C. § 5544

• Title: 5 — Government Organization and Employees
• Chapter: SUBCHAPTER V—PREMIUM PAY

Text

(a) An employee whose pay is fixed and adjusted from time to time in accordance with prevailing rates under section 5343 or 5349 of this title, or by a wage board or similar administrative authority serving the same purpose, is entitled to overtime pay for overtime work in excess of 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week. However, an employee subject to this subsection who regularly is required to remain at or within the confines of his post of duty in excess of 8 hours a day in a standby or on-call status is entitled to overtime pay only for hours of duty, exclusive of eating and sleeping time, in excess of 40 a week. The overtime hourly rate of pay is computed as follows:
(1) If the basic rate of pay of the employee is fixed on a basis other than an annual or monthly basis, multiply the basic hourly rate of pay by not less than one and one-half.
(2) If the basic rate of pay of the employee is fixed on an annual basis, divide the basic annual rate of pay by 2,087, and multiply the quotient by one and one-half.
(3) If the basic rate of pay of the employee is fixed on a monthly basis, multiply the basic monthly rate of pay by 12 to derive a basic annual rate of pay, divide the basic annual rate of pay by 2,087, and multiply the quotient by one and one-half.
An employee subject to this subsection whose regular work schedule includes an 8-hour period of service a part of which is on Sunday is entitled to additional pay at the rate of 25 percent of his hourly rate of basic pay for each hour of work performed during that 8-hour period of service. For employees serving outside the United States in areas where Sunday is a routine workday and another day of the week is officially recognized as the day of rest and worship, the Secretary of State may designate the officially recognized day of rest and worship as the day with respect to which the preceding sentence shall apply instead of Sunday. Time spent in a travel status away from the official duty station of an employee subject to this subsection is not hours of work unless the travel (i) involves the performance of work while traveling, (ii) is incident to travel that involves the performance of work while traveling, (iii) is carried out under arduous conditions, or (iv) results from an event which could not be scheduled or controlled administratively (including travel by the employee to such event and the return of the employee from such event to the employee's official duty station). The first and third sentences of this subsection shall not be applicable to an employee who is subject to the overtime pay provisions of section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In the case of an employee who would, were it not for the preceding sentence, be subject to the first and third sentences of this subsection, the Office of Personnel Management shall by regulation prescribe what hours shall be deemed to be hours of work and what hours of work shall be deemed to be overtime hours for the purpose of such section 7 so as to ensure that no employee receives less pay by reason of the preceding sentence.
(b) An employee under the Office of the Architect of the Capitol who is paid on a daily or hourly basis and who is not subject to chapter 51 and subchapter III of chapter 53 of this title is entitled to overtime pay for overtime work in accordance with subsection (a) of this section. The overtime hourly rate of pay is computed in accordance with subsection (a)(1) of this section.
(c) The provisions of this section, including the last two sentences of subsection (a) and the provisions of section 5543(b), shall apply to a prevailing rate employee described in section 5342(a)(2)(B).
(d) A prevailing rate employee described in section 5342(a)(2)(A) shall receive incident response premium pay under the same terms and conditions that apply to a covered employee under section 5545c if that employee—
(1) is employed by the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior; and
(2)(A) is a wildland firefighter, as defined in section 5332a(a); or
(B) is certified by the applicable agency to perform wildland fire incident-related duties during the period the employee is deployed to respond to a qualifying incident (as defined in section 5545c(a)).

History

(Pub. L. 89–554, Sept. 6, 1966, 80 Stat. 486; Pub. L. 90–83, §1(26)(A), Sept. 11, 1967, 81 Stat. 200; Pub. L. 90–206, title II, §222(d), Dec. 16, 1967, 81 Stat. 641; Pub. L. 92–392, §5, Aug. 19, 1972, 86 Stat. 573; Pub. L. 101–509, title V, §529 [title II, §210(3)], Nov. 5, 1990, 104 Stat. 1427, 1460; Pub. L. 102–378, §2(42), Oct. 2, 1992, 106 Stat. 1352; Pub. L. 104–201, div. A, title XVI, §1610(b), Sept. 23, 1996, 110 Stat. 2738; Pub. L. 105–277, div. G, subdiv. B, title XXIII, §2317(1), Oct. 21, 1998, 112 Stat. 2681–829; Pub. L. 110–181, div. A, title XI, §1110, Jan. 28, 2008, 122 Stat. 360; Pub. L. 119–4, div. A, title VIII, §1807, Mar. 15, 2025, 139 Stat. 30.)

Editorial Notes

In subsection (a), former sections 673c (2d proviso) and 913 are combined and restated for clarity and conciseness. The last 28 words of section 205(a) of the Act of Sept. 1, 1954, 68 Stat. 1109, are omitted as executed and covered by technical section 8.
Subsection (b) is restated to conform to subsection (a). In former section 933, the words "Classification Act of 1949" were substituted for "Classification Act of 1923" on authority of section 1106(a) of the Act of Oct. 28, 1949, ch. 782, 63 Stat. 972.
Standard changes are made to conform with the definitions applicable and the style of this title as outlined in the preface to the report.
The words "a part of which is on Sunday" are coextensive with and substituted for "any part of which is within the period commencing at midnight Saturday and ending at midnight Sunday." The words "is entitled to additional pay" are coextensive with and substituted for "shall be paid extra compensation."

Editorial Notes

References in Text
Section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, referred to in subsec. (a), is classified to section 207 of Title 29, Labor.

Codification
Amendment by Pub. L. 119–4 is based on section 457(b)(1) of of H.R. 8998, from the 118th Congress (Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Congress, Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025), as passed by the House of Representatives on July 24, 2024, which was enacted into law by section 1807 of div. A of Pub. L. 119–4.

Amendments
2025—Pub. L. 119–4 amended section catchline generally, substituting "Wage-board overtime, Sunday rates, and other premium pay" for "Wage-board overtime and Sunday rates; computation".
Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 119–4 added subsec. (d).
2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–181, in third sentence of concluding provisions, substituted "administratively (including travel by the employee to such event and the return of the employee from such event to the employee's official duty station)." for "administratively."
1998—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105–277, which directed the amendment of subsec. (a) by inserting after the fourth sentence "For employees serving outside the United States in areas where Sunday is a routine workday and another day of the week is officially recognized as the day of rest and worship, the Secretary of State may designate the officially recognized day of rest and worship as the day with respect to which the preceding sentence shall apply instead of Sunday.", was executed by making the insertion after the first sentence of the concluding provisions, to reflect the probable intent of Congress.
1996—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 104–201 inserted "and the provisions of section 5543(b)" after "the last two sentences of subsection (a)".
1992—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 102–378, §2(42)(B), amended last two sentences generally. Prior to amendment, last two sentences read as follows: "This section, other than the sixth sentence, shall not be applicable to an employee who is subject to the overtime pay provisions of section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In the case of an employee who would, were it not for the preceding sentence, be subject to this section, hours of work in excess of 8 hours in a day shall be deemed to be overtime hours for the purposes of such section 7 and hours in a paid nonwork status shall be deemed to be hours of work."
Subsec. (a)(2), (3). Pub. L. 102–378, §2(42)(A), substituted "2,087" for "2,080".
Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–378, §2(42)(C), added subsec. (c).
1990—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 101–509 inserted at end "This section, other than the sixth sentence, shall not be applicable to an employee who is subject to the overtime pay provisions of section 7 of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. In the case of an employee who would, were it not for the preceding sentence, be subject to this section, hours of work in excess of 8 hours in a day shall be deemed to be overtime hours for the purposes of such section 7 and hours in a paid nonwork status shall be deemed to be hours of work."
1972—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 92–392 substituted "pay" for "basic pay" and provided for determination of pay under section 5343 or 5349 of this title.
1967—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 90–206 provided that time spent in a travel status away from the official duty station could not qualify as hours of work unless the travel involved the performance of work while traveling, was incident to travel involving the performance of work while traveling, carried out under arduous conditions, or resulting from an event which could not be scheduled or controlled administratively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2025 Amendment
Section 457(d) of H.R. 8998, from the 118th Congress, as passed by the House of Representatives on July 24, 2024, which was enacted into law by Pub. L. 119–4, div. A, title VIII, §1807, Mar. 15, 2025, 139 Stat. 30, provided that: "The amendments made by this section [enacting section 5545c of this title and amending this section and section 5547 of this title] shall take effect on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning on or after either October 1, 2024 or the date of enactment of this Act [Mar. 15, 2025], whichever is later."

Effective Date of 1992 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 102–378 effective as of first day of first applicable pay period beginning on or after Oct. 2, 1992, see section 9(b)(9) of Pub. L. 102–378, set out as a note under section 6303 of this title.

Effective Date of 1990 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 101–509 effective on such date as the President shall determine, but not earlier than 90 days, and not later than 180 days, after Nov. 5, 1990, see section 529 [title III, §305] of Pub. L. 101–509, set out as a note under section 5301 of this title.

Effective Date of 1972 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 92–392 effective on first day of first applicable pay period beginning on or after 90th day after Aug. 19, 1972, see section 15(a) of Pub. L. 92–392, set out as an Effective Date note under section 5341 of this title.

Effective Date of 1967 Amendment
Amendment by Pub. L. 90–206 effective thirty days after Dec. 16, 1967, see section 220(a)(4) of Pub. L. 90–206, set out as a note under section 5542 of this title.

Canal Zone Employees
Pub. L. 85–550, §17(3), July 25, 1958, 72 Stat. 411, provided that nothing in Pub. L. 85–550, which related to wage and employment practices of the Government of the United States in the Canal Zone, should affect the applicability of former sections 673c and 913 of this title [covered by this section] to those classes of employees, within the scope of former sections 673c and 913 of this title [covered by this section] on July 25, 1958.