How does a pay period work?

A pay period is the recurring schedule a company pays its employees. Companies may pay employees weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or even monthly. During the pay period, an employee records the hours or time he or she worked and is then paid for that time.

When do new employees get paid time off?

Typically, new employees are allowed to take time off after a probationary period of 30, 60 or 90 days. There are no federal laws requiring you to grant paid time off (PTO), so use your discretion to determine what works best for your company.

How often do employers have to pay employees?

Federal law requires employers to establish regular paydays and pay employees by that time. Most states have minimum pay dates by which time employers must compensate employees; these paydays usually happen weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly.

When do employees have to be paid for time spent prepping for work?

However, the regulations specifically say that only such periods of time that “cannot as a practical administrative matter be precisely recorded for payroll purposes” (§785.47) are de minimis, and some courts have more closely upheld this stricter standard, indicating that any working time that can be tracked should be paid.

When do employers have to pay overtime to employees?

Rather, the FLSA requires only that employers pay employees their wages, including any earned overtime, on the regular payday for the pay period in which they worked those hours. Unlike the FLSA, many state laws do require employers to pay employees at certain intervals or on certain dates.

How often do you have to pay employees on payday?

If an employer pays employees weekly, every two weeks, or twice a month according to a different earning schedule, it may comply with the payday laws by paying employees for work performed within seven days after the end of the pay period.

When do you have to pay your employee’s wages?

The FLSA does not, however, require employers to pay wages on certain days of the month or at a particular frequency. Rather, the FLSA requires only that employers pay employees their wages, including any earned overtime, on the regular payday for the pay period in which they worked those hours.

How often do you have to pay employees in California?

Paydays, pay periods, and the final wages In California, wages, with some exceptions (see table below), must be paid at least twice during each calendar month on the days designated in advance as regular paydays. The employer must establish a regular payday and is required to post a notice that shows the day, time and location of payment.