Electrician Overtime Pay Rules 2026

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most electricians employed as non-exempt hourly workers must be paid time-and-a-half (1.5x) for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. State law adds additional overtime in some jurisdictions: California, Nevada, Alaska, and Colorado require daily overtime (1.5x for hours over 8 in a single day; California requires double time for hours over 12 in a single day). IBEW collective bargaining agreements often add Sunday and holiday double-time and call-back minimums above the FLSA floor.

California: time-and-a-half over 8 hours per day, double-time over 12 hours per day, and double-time on the seventh consecutive workday. Nevada: time-and-a-half over 8 hours per day for workers paid less than 1.5 times the state minimum wage. Alaska: time-and-a-half over 8 hours per day (with employer-employee 4-10 schedule exemption). Colorado: time-and-a-half over 12 hours per day or 12 consecutive hours regardless of workweek. All other states default to the federal FLSA weekly threshold of 40 hours.

A journeyman electrician with a $35/hr base earns $52.50/hr at 1.5x overtime and $70/hr at 2x double-time. Working 50 hours per week at $35/hr base, weekly gross is $1,925 ($1,400 straight time + $525 overtime); annualised that is roughly $100,100 versus $72,800 for a 40-hour week at the same rate. Storm restoration linemen working 7 days a week at 12-hour shifts can earn $25,000-$50,000 in a 30-day storm deployment beyond regular pay.

Generally no. The FLSA overtime exemption requires the worker to be a bona fide executive, administrative, professional, computer, or outside sales employee, and the salary basis test currently requires at least $1,128 per week ($58,656 per year) as of 2026. Almost all production electrician work is non-exempt regardless of salary or hourly designation. Project managers, superintendents, and bona fide salaried site supervisors with managerial discretion may be exempt; employers misclassifying journeymen as exempt face substantial back-pay liability.

Yes. Most IBEW Local collective bargaining agreements include premium pay above the FLSA floor: typically time-and-a-half for daily hours over 8, double-time for Saturday work (after the first eight hours), double-time for Sunday work, double-time for designated holidays (typically the major federal holidays plus locally negotiated days), and call-back minimums (usually 4 hours of pay for any call-back outside scheduled hours). Specific provisions vary by Local agreement; verify with the signed contract.