Louisiana has no state overtime law and no state minimum wage law, so federal FLSA rules decide your pay. Enter your rate and hours for an accurate Louisiana 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.
Louisiana has no state overtime law, so the federal FLSA applies: 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. Louisiana taxes all wages at a flat 3%, and unpaid overtime goes to the U.S. DOL.
Louisiana never passed a minimum wage or overtime statute, so the Fair Labor Standards Act applies directly: nonexempt employees earn at least 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. No state rule adds or changes this.
The Louisiana Workforce Commission handles labor matters, but it does not enforce wage payment the way other states' agencies do. Unpaid overtime complaints go to the Wage and Hour Division of the U.S. Department of Labor, with 2 years to file, or 3 if the violation was willful.
Louisiana replaced its graduated income tax with a flat 3% rate starting in 2025, and it stays at 3% for 2026. Every overtime dollar is taxed at exactly 3% by the state, on top of federal taxes.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | Louisiana |
|---|---|
| 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) |
| State income tax | Flat 3% |
| Claim agency | Louisiana Workforce Commission (limited wage authority); U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division for overtime |
| Claim deadline | 2 years under the FLSA, 3 years if the violation was willful |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $7.25/hr, 48 hours | $290 + 8 × $10.88 | $377.00 |
| $15/hr, 55 hours | $600 + 15 × $22.50 | $937.50 |
| $21/hr, 46 hours | $840 + 6 × $31.50 | $1,029.00 |
| $12/hr, 40 hours | 40 × $12, no overtime | $480.00 |
Example 2 shows the flat tax math: on $937.50 of gross pay, Louisiana takes exactly 3% of the taxable amount, the same rate whether you earned $30,000 or $300,000 that year.
Final pay has a 15 day clock. Louisiana law requires all wages owed at separation to be paid by the next regular payday or within 15 days, whichever comes first. Late final pay can trigger penalty wages in court, so the separation check deserves extra attention.
The Workforce Commission is not a wage court. Louisiana's commission has limited wage claim enforcement compared with other states. For unpaid overtime, the practical path is a complaint to the federal DOL or a lawsuit, not a state administrative claim.
One rate, no brackets. Since 2025, Louisiana taxes every taxable dollar at 3%. Estimating the state cut on your overtime is simple: multiply the gross by 3% before federal tax, which makes the take home math unusually clean.
Like Louisiana, Texas runs on federal overtime law alone: our Texas overtime calculator shows the same math in a neighboring state. The federal baseline is explained in the FLSA overtime rules guide.
No. Louisiana has no state overtime statute and no state minimum wage law, so the federal Fair Labor Standards Act decides: 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. The Louisiana Workforce Commission has limited wage claim authority.
$7.25 an hour, the federal floor. Louisiana has no state minimum wage law.
No. Only hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate.
Yes, at a flat 3% state rate on all wages, on top of 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 Louisiana framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. Curious what the federal no tax on overtime deduction does to a Louisiana paycheck? Try the deduction calculator.