Employment · Alabama

Can I sue for unpaid overtime in Alabama?

the short answer

Past 40 hours in a workweek you are owed one and a half times your regular rate. The federal rule counts by the week and not by the day, so an eleven-hour Monday is not overtime if the week stops at 40, and two weeks may not be averaged together. Nothing in it requires extra pay for nights, weekends or holidays.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

everywhere in the u.s.

governing statute29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1)source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

penaltyThe unpaid overtime, and an additional equal amount again as liquidated damages. The court must also allow a reasonable attorney's fee and the costs of the action (29 U.S.C. § 216(b)).source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

limit2 yearssource ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

alsoTwo years to sue, or three if the violation was willful (29 U.S.C. § 255(a)). The clock runs paycheck by paycheck, so every week you wait drops a week off the back of the claim.source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

in this state

Where do you report unpaid overtime in Alabama?

free route

Alabama has no state office that takes a wage claim, and no state minimum wage or overtime law behind one. The free route here is the federal Wage and Hour Division: filing a complaint costs nothing, and by law the Division may not disclose your name, what you complained about, or that a complaint exists at all.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

Which court hears a case like this in Alabama?

which court

District Court, small claims docket

source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25

How much can you sue for in Alabama small claims court?

small claims limit

$6,000

source ↗Checked against the statute on 2026-08-25

What else should you know in Alabama?

also

The federal Department of Labor's own state table lists Alabama as having no state minimum wage law, so the rule above is the whole of the rule here. Nothing is missing from this page — there is no second layer to find.

source ↗Not yet checked against the statute.

your situation

That is the rule. Whether it is your answer is a different question.

Everything above is the law as it reaches everyone in Alabama. What it means for you turns on facts only you have. Tell us what happened and we'll ask the same questions a lawyer would — about 90 seconds, free, and anonymous.

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