Bonus and Shift Premiums
If your employer has paid you a bonus based on your work or has paid you a shift premium, you could be owed additional money under FLSA regulations. Some bonuses are supposed to be included in your overtime pay.
If you have been paid a bonus based on productivity or some other premium for working a particular shift, depending on the circumstances that additional pay could be included in the calculation of what should be multiplied by “time and a half.”
Example: An employee makes $12.00 per hour “base pay.” The employee receives a shift pay bonus of $250.00 for the week. The actual rate of pay for overtime calculation pay purposes is $18.25 per hour and not $12.00 per hour. If the employee worked an additional 10 hours, the gross overtime pay due the employee should be $273.75 (10 hours times $18.25 per hour regular pay times “time and a half”) and not $180.00 (10 hours times $12.00 per hour regular pay times “time and a half”).