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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchA federal judge in Texas vacated the U.S. Department of Labor’s 2024 overtime rule on November 15, 2024. As of the DOL’s May 14, 2026 technical amendment, the agency says the operative salary thresholds are $684 a week for most executive, administrative, and professional exemptions and $107,432 a year for certain highly compensated employees. The headline’s “4 million” refers to workers the DOL estimated might become overtime-eligible or receive salary increases under the now-vacated rule—not four million people confirmed to have received overtime pay.
What is the current overtime salary threshold?
As stated by the DOL on May 14, 2026, the salary threshold is $684 per week for most employees claiming the executive, administrative, or professional (EAP) exemption. For the separate highly compensated employee exemption, the annual compensation threshold is $107,432. These are the operative 2019-regulation figures the DOL republished after the court vacated the 2024 rule. DOL announcement, May 14, 2026
A salary figure alone does not decide whether an employee is exempt from federal overtime. The exemption analysis also considers duties and salary basis; coverage and other applicable exemptions may matter as well. The DOL describes the EAP exemptions as involving all three elements: duties, salary basis, and salary level. DOL announcement, May 14, 2026
What did the judge reject?
On November 15, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs in State of Texas v. United States Department of Labor et al., No. 4:24-cv-00499-SDJ, and denied the DOL’s cross-motion. The court concluded that the department exceeded its authority in issuing the 2024 rule and vacated it. Court opinion, Document 76
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The ruling concerned the DOL’s authority to make the rule, not a finding that every worker affected by its proposed thresholds was entitled to overtime. The FLSA generally requires covered employers to pay at least the federal minimum wage and overtime for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, subject to applicable exemptions. Court opinion, Document 76
Why did the DOL say the rule would affect 4 million workers?
The four-million figure was a DOL projection for workers who met the standard duties test and earned at least $684 but less than $1,128 per week. Under the 2024 rule, the agency estimated that 4.0 million workers in that group would either become eligible for overtime or have their salary raised to at least $1,128 to preserve exempt status. It was a modeled estimate of possible effects, not a count of people who actually received overtime pay. DOL 2024 final rule
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Employers could have responded in different ways: pay overtime to employees who became nonexempt, raise salaries to meet the new threshold, or make other staffing or compensation decisions. The DOL also projected that 292,900 workers would be affected by the separate increase to the highly compensated employee threshold. Its estimated $1.5 billion in first-year income transfers was a projection, predominantly from overtime premiums or salary increases—not a recorded outcome. DOL 2024 final rule
How the 2024 thresholds changed—and why the dates matter
| Date or status | Standard EAP threshold in the 2024 rule | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| April 2024 | Rule finalized | The DOL adopted a schedule to raise the salary thresholds and provide for future updates. DOL 2024 final rule |
| July 1, 2024 | $844 weekly ($43,888 annualized) | First scheduled increase under the rule. DOL 2024 final rule |
| January 1, 2025 | $1,128 weekly ($58,656 annualized) | Second scheduled increase under the rule; it also set a $151,164 annual threshold for highly compensated employees. DOL 2024 final rule |
| November 15, 2024 | 2024 rule vacated | The Eastern District of Texas set aside the rule before its January 2025 scheduled increase. Court opinion, Document 76 |
| May 14, 2026 | $684 weekly; $107,432 annually for certain highly compensated employees | The DOL announced a technical amendment republishing the operative 2019 regulations and identified these as the applicable thresholds. DOL announcement, May 14, 2026 |
The $43,888 and $58,656 annualized amounts belong to the vacated rule’s scheduled standard thresholds. They are not the current DOL enforcement thresholds stated in the 2026 announcement.
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What this means if you are checking your own pay
Do not decide that you are—or are not—owed overtime based only on your annual salary. Check how your job’s actual duties fit an exemption, whether the required salary-basis conditions are met, and whether your employer and work are covered by federal or applicable state law. State requirements can differ from federal rules, so the federal figures here do not resolve every worker’s situation.
If you believe you were misclassified or denied overtime, keep pay records and hours worked, and seek fact-specific guidance from the DOL’s Wage and Hour Division or a qualified employment-law professional. The court’s ruling and the DOL’s stated thresholds do not determine an individual wage claim.
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