Which states have a higher overtime-exempt salary threshold than the federal $684/week?

Six states set a higher statutory white-collar (EAP) exempt salary floor than the federal $684/week ($35,568/year): Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, New York, Washington. Washington is the highest at $1,541.70/week ($80,168.40/year) for 2026, followed by California at $1,352/week ($70,304/year). Every other state and DC follow the federal floor.

What is the federal overtime-exempt salary threshold in 2026?

The federal EAP exempt salary threshold is $684 per week ($35,568 per year). The 2024 DOL rule raising it to $844 then $1,128/week was vacated by a federal court on November 15, 2024, so the threshold reverted to $684/week. The highly-compensated-employee floor reverted to $107,432/year.

Does meeting the salary threshold make an employee exempt?

No. The salary-level test is necessary but not sufficient. The employee must also be paid on a salary basis and pass the executive, administrative or professional duties test. A worker paid above the floor who fails the duties test is still owed overtime.

How does the New York or Washington figure work — it varies?

Yes. New York's executive/administrative floor is regional: NYC plus Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties is $1,275/week in 2026, while the rest of the state is $1,199.10/week. Washington's floor is a multiplier of its minimum wage; in 2025 it was tiered by employer size, but from January 1, 2026 it is unified at 2.25x the minimum wage ($1,541.70/week) for all employers. The table shows the downstate-NY and unified-WA figures.

Where do these figures come from?

The federal figure is from the US Department of Labor; each state figure is from that state's labor department (California DIR, New York DOL, Washington L&I, Colorado CDLE, Maine DOL, Alaska DOLWD). Each state page names its authority. Indexed states move annually — verify before relying on a figure.

Overtime-Exempt Salary Threshold by State 2026 — All 50 States + DC

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This is a single, sortable comparison of the white-collar (EAP) overtime-exempt salary threshold in every US state and the District of Columbia for 2026 — the minimum salary a salaried executive, administrative or professional employee must earn to be classified as exempt from overtime. Use it to see how your state compares to the federal floor of $684 per week ($35,568 per year), then click any state for its own checker.

Federal floor: $684/week ($35,568/year)

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, the EAP exempt salary threshold is $684 per week ($35,568 per year). The 2024 DOL rule that would have raised it to $844 then $1,128/week was vacated nationwide on November 15, 2024; the threshold reverted to $684/week. Most states have no higher rule, so the federal figure governs there.

The six states that set a higher floor

Alaska
California
Colorado
Maine
New York
Washington

Washington is the highest in the nation; California, New York, Colorado, Maine and Alaska also exceed the federal floor. Several are indexed to the state minimum wage and move every year. The table shows the 2026 effective figure (New York’s downstate region; Washington’s unified 2026 level).

The salary-level test is only step one

Clearing the salary threshold does not by itself make an employee exempt — they must also pass the job-duties test for the executive, administrative or professional exemption. This table covers the salary-LEVEL test only, which is the part that is a clean number.

Not legal advice. Verify any figure against the relevant state labor department before classifying an employee. Sources: US DOL + state labor departments, as of 2026-06-18.