Wyoming Overtime Pay Calculator

Wyoming technically has a state minimum wage of $5.15/hour on the books, but because that figure sits below the federal minimum, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act's $7.25/hour floor preempts it for virtually every covered employer, and the same is true for overtime: Wyoming has no separate state overtime statute of its own, so the FLSA's 40-hour workweek standard governs. Non-exempt employees earn 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek, with no daily overtime regardless of shift length — common in Wyoming's energy, ranching, and tourism-heavy economy where 12-hour shifts on oil and gas sites or long summer days at Yellowstone-area hospitality jobs are routine.

Because Wyoming's overtime protection comes entirely from federal law, the regular rate calculation follows the standard FLSA formula: total weekly compensation, including non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials common in the oil and gas sector, divided by total hours worked, then multiplied by 1.5 for overtime hours. Energy sector employers in the Powder River Basin and elsewhere sometimes pay day rates or lump-sum project bonuses without folding them into the regular rate calculation, which understates the true overtime owed.

Wyoming's Department of Workforce Services handles general wage claims under state law, but because overtime itself is a federal right in Wyoming, most overtime-specific complaints go to the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division. Workers can file complaints online or by phone, and the agency can investigate multi-employee patterns common on drilling sites, ranches, and seasonal park concessions, potentially recovering back wages for an entire crew rather than just one worker.

The FLSA's standard limitations period applies: two years from the date wages were due, extending to three years for willful violations. Wyoming workers can also bring a private lawsuit for unpaid overtime, which may include liquidated damages doubling the recovery if the employer cannot show it acted in good faith.

Wyoming's ranching and agricultural sector benefits from a broad federal overtime exemption for agricultural workers, but this exemption does not extend to related but distinct work like meat processing, feedlot operations beyond basic animal care, or retail farm-stand sales — misclassifying these workers as 'ag exempt' is a recurring issue. The state's oil, gas, and mining sector also frequently misclassifies field supervisors as exempt 'executive' employees despite spending the bulk of shifts doing the same physical labor as the crew they nominally supervise, which fails the duties test regardless of salary level.

Because Wyoming adds nothing beyond the federal baseline — no daily overtime, no functioning state minimum wage above the federal rate, and no independent overtime statute — workers here have exactly the same overtime rights as in any other FLSA-only state, making careful personal timekeeping especially important given the state's remote worksites and irregular shift patterns.