Under final overtime regulations set to be published today, the new minimum salary for employees to be exempt from overtime under the “white collar” exemptions will more than double — to $913/week , which is $47,476/year — with further increases every 3 years thereafter, beginning on January 1, 2020. The new regulations will become effective on December 1, 2016.
In a positive development, according to the Department of Labor’s (DOL) overview and summary of the new rule, employers will be permitted to credit bonuses and incentive payments for up to 10% of the new required minimum salary.
According to the DOL’s summary, the new regulations contain the following changes:
- Increase of minimum salary for “white collar” exemptions from $455/week ($23,660/year) to $913/week ($47,476/year) — which is the 40th percentile for full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage Census region (currently, the South).
- Increase in the salary threshold for the Highly Compensated Employee exemption from $100,000 to $134,000 — which is currently the 90th percentile for full-time salaried workers nationally (note that the Highly Compensated Employee exemption isn’t effective in a number of states, including Illinois).
- Automatic increases in the salary minimums every 3 years, with the first increase effective January 1, 2020. For the regular “white collar” exemptions, the minimum salary will increase the to the 40th percentile for full-time salaried workers in the lowest-wage Census region (estimated to be $51,168 in 2020). For the Highly Compensated Employee exemption, it will increase to the 90th percentile of full-time salaried workers nationally (estimated to be $147,524 in 2020).
- Up to 10% of the minimum salary for the regular “white collar” exemptions can be met with non-discretionary bonuses, incentive pay, or commissions, provided that they are paid at least quarterly.
- The job duties tests remain unchanged.
The Department of Labor estimates that 4.2 million workers will be impacted by the new regulations.
While December seems like a long time away, changes to compensation structures take time. In order to have all options available, companies need to start thinking now (if they haven’t already) about how the new regulations will impact their workforce and how they are going to react. We strongly recommend that you speak with your employment attorney to determine the best course of action for your company.
The Employment Lawyers 