Tennessee Overtime Pay Calculator

Tennessee has no state minimum wage law and no state overtime statute — it is one of a handful of states that relies entirely on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act for both. That means the minimum wage is the federal $7.25/hour, and overtime is due at 1.5 times the regular rate for any hours worked over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime in Tennessee, so an employee who works four 12-hour shifts (48 hours) gets overtime on the 8 hours above 40, but someone who works six 6-hour days (36 hours) gets none even though they came to work six days straight.

Tennessee's economy is heavily weighted toward logistics, healthcare, manufacturing (especially automotive plants around Chattanooga, Nashville, and Smyrna), and hospitality in Nashville and Memphis. In these industries, the regular rate for overtime must include shift differentials and non-discretionary production bonuses, not just the base hourly wage — a frequent source of underpayment when a plant pays an attendance bonus but calculates overtime only on the base rate.

Tennessee's Department of Labor and Workforce Development handles state wage claims such as unpaid final wages and vacation pay disputes under the Tennessee Wage Regulation Act, but unpaid overtime claims are federal claims handled by the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division, which maintains an office in Nashville. Workers can file complaints online, and the agency can investigate multiple employees at once if a pay practice affects an entire department or shift.

The FLSA's two-year statute of limitations applies, extending to three years for willful violations. Tennessee workers may also file a private lawsuit for unpaid overtime, which can include liquidated damages equal to the amount owed — effectively doubling the recovery — plus attorney's fees if the case succeeds.

A recurring issue in Tennessee's hospitality and restaurant sector involves the tip credit: employers may pay tipped workers as little as $2.13/hour in direct wages if tips bring total pay to $7.25/hour, but overtime must be calculated on the full $7.25 floor, and if an employee spends more than 20% of their time on non-tipped side work (like cleaning or prep), the tip credit may not apply at all to those hours.

Tennessee adds nothing to the federal baseline — no daily overtime, no state-specific salary threshold, no extra penalties beyond what the FLSA provides. Workers who suspect misclassification, especially assistant managers labeled 'exempt' while spending most shifts on register and stocking duties, should track their actual daily tasks, since duties — not job titles — determine exempt status.