A federal law called the FLSA (Fair Labor Standards Act) sets the basic pay rules. States and cities can set higher pay, and the employer must pay the highest rule that applies to you.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour. It has not changed since 2009.
Many states and cities are much higher, often $12 to over $17 an hour.
This differs by state; see In your state below.
Most hourly workers must get 1.5 times their normal rate for every hour over 40 hours in a workweek. Example: you earn $20 an hour and work 45 hours. You get 40 x $20 = $800, plus 5 x $30 = $150, total $950.
Federal law counts by the week, not the day. A few states also require overtime after 8 hours in a day.
Your employer cannot avoid overtime by giving "comp time" instead (in private jobs) or by spreading hours across two weeks.
Some salaried workers are exempt: they get no overtime. Federally, they usually must earn at least $684 a week ($35,568 a year) and do mainly professional, management or administrative work. A title like "manager" alone is not enough. Some states set a higher salary level.
In restaurants and other tipped jobs:
The employer may pay as little as $2.13 an hour in cash wage, if your tips bring you to at least $7.25 an hour. If not, the employer must pay the difference.
Your tips belong to you. Managers and owners may not keep any part of them. A tip pool shared with other workers is allowed in some cases.
Many states require a higher cash wage, and some do not allow this tip credit.
What employers may not do
Pay you less than minimum wage after deductions for uniforms or tools.
Make you work "off the clock": before clocking in, during unpaid breaks, or answering messages from home.
Call you an independent contractor when you are really an employee, to avoid overtime and taxes.
Write down the dates and hours you work and keep your pay stubs. If the numbers do not match, see Discrimination, harassment, wage theft and injuries.
Accepting cash with no pay stub. You lose proof of your hours.
Thinking undocumented or new workers have no wage rights. The Department of Labor says the federal pay rules protect workers regardless of immigration status.