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November 5, 2008    DOL Home > Compliance Assistance > By Topic > Wages and Hours Worked > Work Hours and Other Pay Issues > Merit Pay   

Wages and Hours Worked:

 Work Hours and Other Pay Issues

 Merit Pay



OVERVIEW

Merit pay, also known as pay-for-performance, is defined as an increase in pay based on a set of criteria set by the employer. This usually involves the employer conducting a review and meeting with the employee to discuss the employee's work performance during a certain time period. The provision of merit pay is a matter between an employer and an employee (or the employee's representative). The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require or address the issue of merit pay. The FLSA is administered and enforced by the Wage and Hour Division of the Employment Standards Administration.

COMPLIANCE ASSISTANCE MATERIALS

BASIC INFORMATION

E-TOOLS

  • elaws FLSA Advisor - Addresses key wage and hour topics, including what the FLSA does and does not require.

APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS

DOL CONTACTS*

  • Employment Standards Administration (ESA)
    Wage and Hour Division
    200 Constitution Avenue, NW
    Room S-3502
    Washington, DC 20210
    Contact WHD
    Tel: 1-866-4USWAGE (1-866-487-9243)
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627
    Local Offices

  • For questions on other DOL laws,
    please call DOL's Toll-Free Help Line at 1-866-4-USA-DOL. Live assistance is available in English and Spanish, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Additional service is available in more than 140 languages through a translation service.
    Tel: 1-866-4-USA-DOL
    TTY: 1-877-889-5627

*Pursuant to the U.S. Department of Labor's Confidentiality Protocol for Compliance Assistance Inquiries, information provided by a telephone caller will be kept confidential within the bounds of the law. Compliance assistance inquiries will not trigger an inspection, audit, investigation, etc.



Phone Numbers