Employee guide
How do I document unpaid overtime?
By Verity Workplace. Information for US workers. Sources checked .
Quick answer: Record the actual start and finish times for each workday, breaks, work done outside scheduled hours, and what the pay records show. Preserve requests to work early, stay late or work off the clock. Overtime eligibility depends on the applicable rules and job facts. Check Department of Labor or state guidance rather than assuming a salary or job title settles the question.
How do you start?
Make a day-by-day log for the work period. Record the time you began working, stopped working, took breaks and returned. Include tasks done before clocking in or after clocking out, such as opening the workplace, closing duties or answering required work messages.
Keep the employer time record alongside your own notes. If they differ, explain the specific difference without replacing either version. A schedule shows planned hours; it may not show the hours you actually worked.
What should you document?
Build a record someone else can compare with the pay stub.
- Actual daily work times and unpaid breaks.
- The workweek or pay period used by the employer, if known.
- Your job duties and the pay arrangement you were given.
- Requests for off-the-clock tasks or extra work.
- Original time entries and any changes you noticed.
- Pay stubs and messages asking about missing time.
Does being salaried mean overtime does not apply?
A pay label alone is not enough to answer an overtime question. The Department of Labor explains federal overtime rules and exemptions. State rules may differ. Use those resources or qualified help to check your circumstances; this guide does not determine whether you qualify.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Keep observed working time separate from your estimate of what is owed.
- Using the posted schedule as the only evidence of actual work.
- Forgetting short tasks performed before or after a shift.
- Guessing a final overtime amount without showing the hours.
- Treating the employer job title as a legal conclusion about eligibility.
Where Verity fits
Write your complaint in your own words, add the key details, then choose what happens next. Your original record stays private. Nothing is sent to your employer until you review the employer version and choose to send it. Employees can create, keep and download their record for free.
Verity is an independent record service, not a government agency, law firm or emergency service. It does not file for you, choose an agency, give legal advice or guarantee anonymity. You choose whether to share with your employer and whether to use your record elsewhere.
Official sources
These official US resources explain their own processes and coverage. Check current instructions directly. Saving a complaint with Verity does not pause outside deadlines.
Related guides
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