{"id":12075,"date":"2026-03-03T22:57:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T03:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?post_type=resources&#038;p=12075"},"modified":"2026-10-12T04:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T09:33:58","slug":"how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa","status":"publish","type":"resources","link":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/","title":{"rendered":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f85887e8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-929090b5 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-vertical is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-a4641b2f wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by the <strong>Brightmine Editorial Team<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Classifying an employee as exempt or nonexempt from the minimum wage and overtime requirements of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is among the most important tasks that HR must perform. Every year, thousands of lawsuits are filed by employees who allege they were misclassified, and they often win millions of dollars in back pay and fees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are specific steps to follow for determining whether an employee qualifies for a particular exemption. But the general process of employee classification is roughly the same for all of the exemptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-in-this-guide-learn-about\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">In this guide, learn about:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"\">Step 1: Audit the employee&#8217;s job duties<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Step 2: Determine which duty is &#8220;primary&#8221;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Step 3: Decide which exemption may apply<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"\">Step 4: Determine if the employee qualifies for the exemption<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-want-to-see-more\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Want to see more?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For full access to <strong>How to classify an employee under the FLSA<\/strong>, sign up for an HR and Compliance Center subscription today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/us\/quote\/?intcmp=hrcc-migrated-resource|quote|request-a-quote\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Request a quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-left-color:var(--wp--preset--color--secondary-gray);border-left-width:2px;padding-left:10px;flex-basis:30%\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-2 is-position-sticky\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-bleach-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-22a7c014 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:14px;padding-top:10px;padding-right:15px;padding-bottom:15px;padding-left:15px\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Get ahead of HR compliance<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Navigating today\u2019s complex HR compliance landscape is challenging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Get ahead with Brightmine. Access HR resources and automation tools managed by seasoned human HR experts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:14px\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"\/us\/products\/hr-compliance-center\/#lexisnexis\">Proudly partnered with LexisNexis<sup>\u00ae<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6ee76cfc wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"166\" height=\"44\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2025\/07\/16090337\/LexisNexis-logo.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-9646\" style=\"width:auto;height:35px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/us\/quote\/?intcmp=cta|blog|quote|request-a-quote\" style=\"border-radius:25px\">Request a quote<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group lnrs-hide-block-on-mobile has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-64c039dc wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-top:0;padding-bottom:0\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-secondary-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-secondary-gray-background-color has-background\" style=\"margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Read more articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\"><ul class=\"wp-block-post-template is-layout-flow wp-container-core-post-template-is-layout-a7dce961 wp-block-post-template-is-layout-flow\"><li class=\"wp-block-post post-17551 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-hr-news topic-wage-hour\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.192), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/dol-opinion-letters-on-meal-breaks-volunteering-and-tip-pools\/\" target=\"_self\" >DOL Opinion Letters Shed Light on Meal Breaks, Volunteering and Tip Pools<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-17085 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-c-and-i topic-wage-hour\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.192), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-commutes-new-twists-on-an-old-question\/\" target=\"_self\" >Employee commutes: New twists on an old question<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><li class=\"wp-block-post post-11619 resources type-resources status-publish has-post-thumbnail hentry category-charts tag-50-state-chart topic-overtime topic-state-compliance\">\n<h2 style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.192), 16px);line-height:1.3;text-decoration:underline;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px;margin-left:0;margin-right:0\" class=\"wp-block-post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/overtime\/overtime-variations-by-state\/\" target=\"_self\" >Overtime variations: 50-state HR compliance chart<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f85887e8 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<h2 id=\"h-you-may-also-be-interested-in\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">You may also be interested in&#8230;<\/h2>\n\n\n<section id=\"resources-search-filter\" class=\"wp-elements-5e8105536b3361f50b946c9332c3f5d4 wp-block-brightmine-resources-filter has-text-color has-primary-black-color has-background has-primary-white-background-color\">\n\n\n<div class=\"ajax-filter\">\n<div class=\"lnrs-resources-search-filter  editor-posts-filtered-topics \">\n\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_bottom\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_left\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"search_terms_result_count\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"bottom_right\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"loader-container\">\n\t\t<span class=\"loader\" style=\"display: none;\"><\/span>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-filter-widget__container\">\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/new-jersey-adopts-strict-abc-test-for-independent-contractors\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/01\/28025421\/Business-meeting-contract-signing-1200x627-1.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">HR News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/employment-law-updates\/new-jersey-adopts-strict-abc-test-for-independent-contractors\/\">New Jersey adopts strict \u201cABC test\u201d for independent contractors<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #202526\">This article explains New Jersey\u2019s new regulations strengthening the \u201cABC test\u201d for independent contractor classification and outlines how &#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">Guides &#8211; How to<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/\">How to classify an employee under the FLSA<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #202526\">This guide explains how employers can determine whether an employee is properly classified as exempt or nonexempt under &#8230;<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource\" style=\"background-color: #f3f2f0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/dol-proposes-newish-independent-contractor-rule\/\"><div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__resource_image\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/26021346\/Casual-meeting-of-students-1200x627-1.webp);\"><\/div><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__inner_content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"content-top\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__categories\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"sync\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/lnrs-resources-filter\/assets\/images\/category-flag.svg\" alt=\"\" class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category_icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"lnrs-resource-hub-widget__category\">HR News<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"title\" style=\"color: #00728B\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/dol-proposes-newish-independent-contractor-rule\/\">DOL proposes new(ish) independent contractor rule<\/a><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p style=\"color: #202526\">Understand key changes in the DOL\u2019s proposed independent contractor rule and how it could impact employer compliance.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-primary-white-background-color has-background has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-f1e3dc65 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"border-radius:25px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-9f6a5453 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\">\n<h3 id=\"h-topics-on-this-page\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">Topics on this page<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-7387b849 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<div class=\"taxonomy-topic has-link-color wp-elements-5ec59eb01c09ec2f1d84a6b36973ff83 wp-block-post-terms\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/\" rel=\"tag\">Employee classification<\/a><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-cararra-gray-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-cararra-gray-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-about-the-author\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-style:normal;font-weight:500\">About the author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-not-stacked-on-mobile is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-a903a136 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100px\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border is-style-rounded\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2024\/03\/12085517\/Brightmine_Favicon_128px.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-681\" style=\"border-top-left-radius:500px;border-top-right-radius:500px;border-bottom-left-radius:500px;border-bottom-right-radius:500px;aspect-ratio:1;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Brightmine Editorial Team<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our in-house team of HR experts carefully monitors and updates the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/products\/hr-compliance-center\/\">Brightmine HR &amp; Compliance Center<\/a>, the most comprehensive library of employment law and HR resources. This team has an unrivaled wealth of subject matter expertise, with an average of 15 years&#8217; experience. They also bring invaluable, diverse career experiences to the table\u2014the team includes seasoned employment law attorneys, former in-house counsel, SHRM certified professionals and career employment law editors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to managing the HR &amp; Compliance Center, the Editorial Team supports the content across the Brightmine product portfolio. The Team also supports Marketing Resource Center with breaking <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/category\/hr-news\/\">HR news<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/category\/c-and-i\/\">Commentary and Insights<\/a>, and expert review of key compliance resources, such as our free charts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/brightmine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Follow Brightmine on LinkedIn<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This guide explains how employers can determine whether an employee is properly classified as exempt or nonexempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and outlines a practical process for evaluating job duties and exemption criteria to reduce misclassification risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":12167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"wp-custom-template-new-resources","categories":[13],"tags":[],"topic":[87],"class_list":["post-12075","resources","type-resources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides-how-to","topic-employee-classification"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.3 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to classify an employee under the FLSA | Brightmine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to classify an employee under the FLSA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Brightmine US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Brightmine\/61571848101231\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"627\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/webp\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@WeAreBrightmine\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/370a5c75c190f8bca0f95327513bba8d\"},\"headline\":\"How to classify an employee under the FLSA\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T03:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":170,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19225536\\\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Guides - How to\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to classify an employee under the FLSA | Brightmine\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19225536\\\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-03-04T03:57:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19225536\\\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/cjp-rbi-brightmine.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/3\\\/2026\\\/02\\\/19225536\\\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":627,\"caption\":\"Working overtime remotely\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"HR compliance\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Wage and hour\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Employee classification\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/resources\\\/hr-compliance\\\/wage-hour\\\/employee-classification\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"How to classify an employee under the FLSA\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/\",\"name\":\"Brightmine\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/370a5c75c190f8bca0f95327513bba8d\",\"name\":\"Jake Orlando\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Jake Orlando\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.brightmine.com\\\/us\\\/author\\\/jake-orlando\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA | Brightmine","description":"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA","og_description":"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk","og_url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/","og_site_name":"Brightmine US","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/people\/Brightmine\/61571848101231\/","article_modified_time":"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":627,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp","type":"image\/webp"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@WeAreBrightmine","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/"},"author":{"name":"Jake Orlando","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/370a5c75c190f8bca0f95327513bba8d"},"headline":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA","datePublished":"2026-03-04T03:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/"},"wordCount":170,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp","articleSection":["Guides - How to"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/","name":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA | Brightmine","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp","datePublished":"2026-03-04T03:57:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-12T09:33:58+00:00","description":"Learn how to classify employees under the FLSA, including exempt vs nonexempt analysis, job duty audits, exemption requirements, state law checks, and documentation to avoid misclassification risk","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.brightmine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2026\/02\/19225536\/Working-overtime-remotely-1200x627-1.webp","width":1200,"height":627,"caption":"Working overtime remotely"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/how-to-classify-an-employee-under-flsa\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"HR compliance","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Wage and hour","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Employee classification","item":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/resources\/hr-compliance\/wage-hour\/employee-classification\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"How to classify an employee under the FLSA"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/","name":"Brightmine","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/#\/schema\/person\/370a5c75c190f8bca0f95327513bba8d","name":"Jake Orlando","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6cad3b0b0caf6c78c79c48f8191378fb16f1acafc3db8530fdaaa25c9fabd4d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Jake Orlando"},"url":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/author\/jake-orlando\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/12075","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/resources"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12075"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/12075\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18809,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/resources\/12075\/revisions\/18809"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12075"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12075"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12075"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightmine.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=12075"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}