Who enforces federal overtime laws?
The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) is responsible for administering and enforcing the FLSA. The WHD usually initiates an investigation of an employer’s overtime practices in response to an employee’s complaint. Isolated complaints on behalf of only one or a few employees may only result in a phone interview and small-scale investigation of the company, called “conciliation.” Multiple violations or complex cases may result in a full investigation by the WHD, involving employee interviews and subpoenas of the company’s records. The WHD administrator also may assess a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation for any repeated or willful violation the FLSA’s overtime provisions. Learn more about correctly classifying workers with the Wage and Hour Compliance Manual Wage and hour labor law documentation Employers subject to the FLSA are required to make, keep, and preserve carefully documentation related to their employee’s wages, hours, and other conditions and practices of employmen
