Alabama has no state wage law of any kind, so federal FLSA rules decide your pay. Enter your rate and hours for an accurate Alabama paycheck estimate: 1.5x after 40 hours a week, no daily overtime.
Rules verified November 2026 · Sources: U.S. Department of Labor
By Mudassir Khan
Federal FLSA rules only. Each workweek stands alone.
Unpaid overtime goes to the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division, within 2 years. Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or payroll advice. Confirm with your employer or a qualified professional.
Alabama has no state minimum wage, overtime, or wage payment law at all, so the federal FLSA is the only rule: nonexempt workers earn 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, with no daily overtime. The 2026 minimum wage is the $7.25 federal floor, and unpaid overtime goes straight to the U.S. DOL.
Alabama is one of the few states with no minimum wage, overtime, or wage payment statute of its own. The Fair Labor Standards Act covers everything: 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek for nonexempt employees.
There is no Alabama agency that takes wage claims. Unpaid overtime complaints go to the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, or to court. The FLSA deadline is 2 years, or 3 if the violation was willful.
With no state minimum wage law, the federal $7.25 floor applies to covered workers in 2026. Overtime math for a minimum wage worker starts at $10.88 an hour.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | Alabama |
|---|---|
| Overtime rule | Federal FLSA only: 1.5 times pay after 40 hours in a workweek |
| Minimum wage 2026 | $7.25 (federal floor; no state law of any kind) |
| State income tax | Graduated, 2% to 5% |
| Claim agency | No state agency; U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division or court |
| Claim deadline | 2 years under the FLSA, 3 years if the violation was willful |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $7.25/hr, 52 hours | $290 + 12 × $10.88 | $420.50 |
| $11/hr, 45 hours | $440 + 5 × $16.50 | $522.50 |
| $17/hr, 50 hours | $680 + 10 × $25.50 | $935.00 |
| $8/hr, 40 hours | 40 × $8, no overtime | $320.00 |
Example 1 shows the pure federal case: with no state law of any kind, every number in this table comes straight from the FLSA. A 52 hour week at the floor pays $130.50 in overtime premium.
There is nowhere to file but federal. Alabama workers sometimes waste months looking for a state wage claim form that does not exist. The Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. DOL is the agency, and a federal or state court is the backup.
Alabama's income tax still touches overtime. Alabama taxes wages on a graduated scale from 2% to 5%. It is not a no tax state, so overtime loses a state cut on top of federal taxes, just a modest one.
Exemptions are federal questions only. Whether you are exempt from overtime depends entirely on the FLSA duties and salary tests. No Alabama law adds or removes exemptions, so a job title that sounds managerial does not decide the question by itself.
Like Alabama, Georgia runs on federal overtime law alone: our Georgia overtime calculator shows the same math in a neighboring state. The federal baseline is explained in the FLSA overtime rules guide.
No. Alabama has no state wage law of any kind, so the federal Fair Labor Standards Act is the only rule: 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek.
With the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, or in court. Alabama has no state agency that takes wage claims.
$7.25 an hour, the federal floor. Alabama has no state minimum wage law.
No. Only hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate.
Yes. Alabama has a graduated income tax from 2% to 5%, so overtime is taxed like any other wages, plus federal taxes.
Yes, if nonexempt. A salary alone does not remove overtime rights. Only employees who pass the FLSA exempt duties and salary tests can be denied overtime pay.
Rates and rules checked against these sources in November 2026.
Want the same math without the Alabama framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. Curious what the federal no tax on overtime deduction does to an Alabama paycheck? Try the deduction calculator.