Human Resources
FLSA White Collar Exemptions
CWS2025260
90 Minutes
Aug 29,2025
10:00 AM PDT | 01:00 PM EDT
Overview
In 2024 the Department of Labor released final rule updating the salary threshold requirements for exempt employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. This Final Rule increased the minimum salary thresholds for exempt employees and provided an automatic updating mechanism for the thresholds to reflect current earnings data. Effective July 1, 2024, the standard threshold increased from $684 per week to $844 per week. There was a second increase to $1,128 per week scheduled for January 1, 2025. On November 15, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the Final Rule and the FLSA threshold reverted to $684 per week. Employers must still make sure that employees treated as exempt are properly classified and that all applicable requirements for exemption are met under applicable state or federal laws.
Description
This session will describe the changes and compare them to the current Department of Labor regulations as they apply to the white-collar exemptions to the minimum wage and overtime requirement of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). The tests for exemption are the salary basis test, minimum salary requirement, and the duties tests. These tests have changed over the years and are complex and can be confusing. In addition, there are strict record keeping requirements and salary integrity requirements to prevent disqualification of the exemption. The webinar will also describe how employers can prepare for the changes.
Both the federal Department of Labor and State Wage and Hour agencies are engaged in enforcement initiatives concerned with misclassification of employees as exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act overtime requirements. Employers are often confused as to which exemptions may apply to a particular employee.
Why You Should Attend
Making sure that employees are properly classified as exempt or non-exempt can be a daunting task. Misclassification of employees as exempt can be costly in terms of penalties and back pay awards for overtime compensation. This session will discuss the ways that employers can stay compliant as well as some of the ways employers have found themselves in trouble.
In addition to salary threshold information, you will learn how to determine whether an employee qualifies for exemption from the FLSA minimum wage and overtime requirements. How to handle certain employee absences from work, including FLSA intermittent leave, use of paid time off for part day absences, and employer actions that can lead to disqualification.
After attending this session, you should be able to:
- Assess the impact of salary threshold changes on employee compensation
- Compensation alternatives for employees who may not meet updated thresholds.
- Distinguish between the various types of exemptions.
- Identify whether specific work activities support exempt status or nonexempt status
- Know the common misconceptions about exempt status, job titles, and salary basis
- Understand proper application of the federal salary basis test.
- Identify employer actions that defeat exemption
- Identify exceptions to the salary basis rules
- Explain why time records for exempt employees matter
Areas Covered
- The executive, administrative, professional, and selected other exemptions
- The requirements for exemption: the salary basis, salary amount, and duties tests
- The differences in the various types of exemptions.
- Work activities that support exempt status and those that indicate nonexempt status
- Common misconceptions about exempt status, job titles, and salary basis
- Proper application of the federal salary basis test.
- Employer actions that defeat exemption
- Exceptions to the salary basis and salary amount rules
- Why time records matter
- Treatment of certain employee absences from work such as FLSA intermittent leave and use of paid time off for part day absences
- Employer actions that can lead to exemption disqualification.
- Planning for changes – alternatives for employees who do not meet the salary threshold.
Who should attend
- Payroll Supervisors and Personnel
- Payroll Consultants and Service Providers
- Public Accountants and Enrolled Agents
- Internal Auditors
- Employee Benefits Administrators
- Officers and Managers with Payroll or Tax Compliance Oversight
- Company / Business Owners
- Managers/ Supervisors
- Public Agency Managers
- Audit and Compliance Personnel / Risk Managers
Patrick A Haggerty
Patrick A. Haggerty is a tax practitioner, author, and educator. His work experience includes nonprofit organization management, banking, manufacturing accounting, and tax practice. He began teaching accounting at the college level in 1988. He is licensed as an Enrolled Agent by the U. S. Treasury to represent tax payers at all administrative levels of the IRS and is a Certified Management Accountant. He has written numerous articles and a monthly question and answer column for payroll publications. In addition, he regularly develops and presents webinars and presentations on a variety of topics including payroll tax issues, FLSA compliance, and information return reporting.