Expert: Shirley McAllister, CPP, PHR - 3/5/2009

Question
My offer letter states that I will make $42,000.00 a year in California, but I will be paid as a non exempt employee every week. I calculate my pay as 20.19 per hour, and I'm scheduled to work 44 hours per week I work 4 days per week . I think my gross weekly check should be $1009.56 with my OT, but my check has only been $810.00. They tell me this is correct but I feel that I'm being shorted. they say my rate is 16.20 for regular and 24.30 for OT and if I work my assigned schedule it comes back to $42000.00. Please tell me where I can go to look up more information to see if I'm being paid correctly Should my OT be part of the calculation of my yearly salary or in addition.

Answer
The overtime is usually extra, however, with your schedule if you work all year and work 44 hours a week, they could figure it the way they are and you would still earn 42,000 a year. It does not matter how they figure the time as long as at the end of the year you have earned 42,000 to satisfy what you have been offered.

The offer does not say 42,000 plus overtime. It says 42,000 a year. How they get to the 42,000 is not an issue as long as you are paid that much by the end of the year.

Shirley