Office of Compliance Assistance Policy
Showcase of Compliance Assistance Tools
A Closer Look at Easy-to-Use DOL Employment Law Resources

elaws Advisor Spotlight
Employment Laws Assistance for Workers and Small Businesses

FLSA elaws Advisors

To help workers and employers understand their rights and responsibilities under federal employment laws, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) offers a series of elaws Advisors — easy to use, online tools available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.dol.gov/elaws.

The FLSA Suite of elaws Advisors helps users understand the minimum wage, overtime, and child labor provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which is enforced by DOL’s Wage and Hour Division.  Each of these Advisors provides information tailored to specific workplace or employment situations.

The FLSA Suite of elaws Advisors covers various areas of the Fair Labor Standards Act:

• The Coverage and Employment Status Advisor helps identify which workers are employees covered by the FLSA;
• The Hours Worked Advisor provides information to help determine which hours spent in work-related activities are considered FLSA “hours worked” and therefore, must be paid;
• The Overtime Security Advisor helps determine which employees are exempt from  the FLSA minimum wage and overtime pay requirements under the Part 541 overtime regulations;
• The Overtime Calculator Advisor computes the amount of overtime pay due in a sample pay period based on information from the user;
• The Child Labor Rules Advisor answers questions about the FLSA’s youth employment provisions, including at what age young people can work and the jobs they can perform; and
• The Section 14(c) Advisor helps users understand the special minimum wage requirements for workers with disabilities.

Employers and employees often have questions about overtime hours and pay.  DOL has created two Advisors that work hand-in-hand to help answer these questions.  The Hours Worked Advisor helps the user figure out which hours are hours for which employees must be paid.  The Advisor explains whether time spent in meetings, training, meal periods, and other pursuits is compensable time.  The Overtime Calculator Advisor describes how different payments, like bonuses, commissions, and tips, impact the amount of overtime due for any employee entitled to overtime pay – and also shows how the calculations were made using the pay information provided by the user.

Another important part of the FLSA is explained by the Child Labor Rules Advisor.  This Advisor helps employers, parents, teachers, and youth understand the rules that apply to workers under 18 years of age.  The Advisor asks questions about a youth’s age and particular working environment, and then explains whether the youth is limited in the hours or occupations he or she may work.

To subscribe to receive e-mail updates when new elaws Advisors or other compliance assistance resources become available, visit www.dol.gov/compliance/CA_subscribe.htm.

Access this tool by visiting DOL’s compliance assistance Web page,
by e-mailing us or by calling our Toll-Free Help Line