Minnesota Overtime Pay Calculator

Minnesota is one of the few states where the state overtime threshold and the federal threshold genuinely differ in a way that matters day-to-day. Minnesota's own overtime law, Minn. Stat. §177.25, requires 1.5 times the regular rate only after 48 hours in a workweek. But for any employer covered by the federal FLSA — which, as in most states, includes the vast majority of businesses through interstate commerce or revenue tests — the federal 40-hour rule controls instead, since employees are always entitled to whichever standard is more generous.

The practical effect is that Minnesota's 48-hour threshold mostly applies to small, wholly local employers not covered by the FLSA, similar to the Kansas situation but with a different number. A tiny local business that doesn't meet FLSA coverage tests could lawfully pay straight time through 48 hours and only owe overtime beyond that, while an FLSA-covered employer down the street must pay overtime starting at 40 hours for the exact same schedule.

Minnesota's 2026 minimum wage is $11.13/hr for large employers, making the state-law overtime rate $16.70/hr rounded. Minnesota also has a separate, lower minimum wage tier for small employers, so workers should confirm which minimum wage tier applies to their employer before calculating their expected overtime rate, since the two figures produce different results.

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry investigates wage and overtime complaints under state law, and workers can file a claim directly through the agency's Labor Standards division. For FLSA-covered employers, workers can also file with the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division or bring a private lawsuit, and many Minnesota wage attorneys evaluate claims under both state and federal law simultaneously to maximize recovery.

Minnesota's statute of limitations for wage claims generally runs two to three years depending on whether the violation was willful, tracking closely with the federal standard. Minnesota law also allows employees to recover liquidated damages equal to the unpaid wages in some cases, effectively doubling the recovery, which adds real financial weight to filing a claim rather than letting a shortfall go unaddressed.

The biggest trap in Minnesota is workers or even employers assuming the state's 48-hour threshold applies universally, when in reality nearly all sizable employers must follow the federal 40-hour rule because they meet FLSA coverage requirements. Workers who are told 'overtime doesn't start until 48 hours here' should specifically verify whether their employer is FLSA-covered, since that fact — not just Minnesota's own statute — usually determines the real threshold.

Minnesota also has specific rules for agricultural and certain seasonal workers that create partial exemptions similar to federal carve-outs, and public-sector employees in Minnesota may receive compensatory time off instead of cash overtime under specific public employer agreements, consistent with FLSA public-sector comp time provisions. Tipped workers in Minnesota get no tip credit at all — Minnesota is a state that requires the full minimum wage before tips, so overtime calculations are simpler here than in tip-credit states, based directly on the full $11.13 (or applicable) minimum wage.