Pay & Benefits

DOL administers a number of laws that impact the pay and benefits of the nation's workers.

DOL's Employment Standards Administration's Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires employers to pay covered employees who are not otherwise exempt, at least the federal minimum wage and overtime pay for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The FLSA affects most private and public employment.

The Wage and Hour Division also administers and enforces the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), which provides certain employees with up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave per year for specified family and medical reasons and requires that group health benefits be maintained during the leave.

In addition, DOL's Employee Benefits Security Administration administers the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) as it applies to the administration of employee retirement and group health benefit plans.

Use the resources on this page to learn more about pay and benefit issues. Please note that elaws Advisors have not yet been built for every DOL law and regulation. Therefore, your issue may also be covered under laws not addressed by this Web site.

For More Information

Choose an elaws Advisor to begin:

Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Advisor — Provides employers and employees with the information they need to understand Federal minimum wage, overtime, child labor and recordkeeping requirements.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Coverage and Employment Status Advisor — Helps employers and employees understand and determine coverage under the FLSA.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Hours Worked Advisor — Helps employers and employees determine which work- related activities are considered "hours worked" and thus hours for which employees must be paid.
FLSA Overtime Calculator Advisor – Helps employers and employees understand overtime pay principles and allows them to calculate overtime pay based on their own data for a sample pay period.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Overtime Security Advisor — Helps employees and employers determine whether a particular employee is exempt from the FLSA's minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) Section 14(c) Advisor - Helps employers, employees and their family members understand FLSA Section 14(c), which authorizes employers, after receiving a certificate from DOL, to pay less than the federal minimum wage to workers who have disabilities for the work being performed.
Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Advisor — Helps employers and employees determine coverage and eligibility under FMLA and reviews valid reasons for leave, notification responsibilities and employee rights and benefits under the Act.
Health Benefits Advisor — Helps employees and their families make informed decisions about their employer-based health benefits, particularly when facing life and work changes such as marriage, childbirth, death, divorce, job loss, a new job or retirement.
Health Benefits Advisor for Employers — Helps private sector employers understand their responsibilities and assists them in complying with the federal laws applicable to their group health plans.
Small Business Retirement Savings Advisor — Helps small business employers understand various retirement savings options available to them and determine which one is most appropriate for them and their employees.
Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) Advisor — Helps employers and employees understand their rights and responsibilities under USERRA and provides a notice that employers may post or distribute to fulfill their requirement to notify employees of their rights and benefits under the Act.

	U.S. Department of Labor