Washington Overtime Laws

Time-and-a-half after 40 hours worked in a workweek is the practical starting point for most covered, nonexempt employees.

Overtime is calculated by workweek, not by pay period. An employer cannot average a long week and a short week together to avoid overtime that was earned in the long week.

How this differs from federal law: Washington's weekly trigger matches the FLSA, but its 2026 salary threshold of $1,541.70 per week ($80,168.40 per year) is higher than the current federal threshold. The worker must satisfy Washington's salary, salary-basis and duties tests.

A salary at or above the threshold is not enough by itself. The employee's actual duties must also satisfy the state test, and special rules apply to computer professionals and several occupations.

The general rule does not fit every worker or workplace. These points are especially important in Washington:

• -Washington agricultural employees, including dairy workers, now earn overtime after 40 hours in a workweek.
• -For 2026, the executive, administrative and professional salary threshold is $1,541.70 per week for employers of every size. It is recalculated as the state minimum wage changes.
• -An exempt computer professional may be paid hourly if the duties test is met; the 2026 state hourly threshold is $59.96. Certain care settings and other occupations have separate rules.

Under the FLSA, hours worked include time the employer requires or permits an employee to spend working. That can include required preparation, certain training or travel, and work performed before clocking in or after clocking out.

Paid vacation, holidays and sick leave usually are not hours actually worked for the federal 40-hour calculation. A contract, policy or state-specific rule can be more generous.

The workweek is a fixed, recurring period of 168 hours. It does not have to run Monday through Sunday, but it cannot be changed from week to week to avoid overtime.

Being paid a salary does not automatically remove an employee's right to overtime.

Common executive, administrative and professional exemptions depend on the employee's real job duties and the applicable pay-basis requirements. A title such as "manager" does not settle the question.

State exemption tests can differ from federal tests. Employers should apply every law that covers the work rather than relying only on payroll method or title.

An employer may require advance approval before overtime is worked. Even so, covered work must be paid when the employer required it, allowed it, or knew or should have known it was happening.

The employer may address a violation of its scheduling policy separately, but it cannot accept compensable work and then erase the hours from payroll.