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Below is a table by which computer programmers can reference to determine if they may be exempt from overtime. In the event, an employer is not paying a programmer or related employer the hourly amount below, that employee may be entitled to overtime. As you will see the hourly rate requirement increases each year.
Salary Required for Hours in Work Week: |
Year |
Hourly |
@ 40 hours |
@ 50 hours |
@ 60 hours |
@ 70 hours |
@ 80 hours |
2006 |
$47.81 |
$99,445 |
$124,306 |
$149,168 |
$174,029 |
$198,890 |
2005 |
$45.84 |
$95,348 |
$119,184 |
$143,021 |
$166,858 |
$190,694 |
2004 |
$44.63 |
$92,830 |
$116,038 |
$143,021 |
$162,453 |
$186,661 |
2003 |
$43.58 |
$90,646 |
$113,308 |
$135,970 |
$158,631 |
$181,239 |
2002 |
$42.64 |
$88,691 |
$110,864 |
$133,037 |
$155,210 |
$177,382 |
California Labor Code §515.5 (a) Except as provided in subdivision (b), an employee in the computer software field shall be exempt from the requirement that an overtime rate of compensation be paid pursuant to Section 510 if all of the following apply:
(1) The employee is primarily engaged in work that is intellectual or creative and that requires the exercise of discretion and independent judgment, and the employee is primarily engaged in duties that consist of one or more of the following:
(A) The application of systems analysis techniques and procedures, including consulting with users, to determine hardware, software, or system functional specifications.
(B) The design, development, documentation, analysis, creation, testing, or modification of computer systems or programs, including prototypes, based on and related to, user or system design specifications.
(C) The documentation, testing, creation, or modification of computer programs related to the design of software or hardware for computer operating systems.
(2) The employee is highly skilled and is proficient in the theoretical and practical application of highly specialized information to computer systems analysis, programming, and software engineering. A job title shall not be determinative of the applicability of this exemption.
(3) The employee's hourly rate of pay is not less than forty-one dollars ($41.00). The Division of Labor Statistics and Research shall adjust this pay rate on October 1 of each year to be effective on January 1 of the following year by an amount equal to the percentage increase in the California Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.[This section has been modified effective 2006 as discussed above]
(b) The exemption provided in subdivision (a) does not apply to an employee if any of the following apply:
(1) The employee is a trainee or employee in an entry-level position who is learning to become proficient in the theoretical and practical application of highly specialized information to computer systems analysis, programming, and software engineering.
(2) The employee is in a computer-related occupation but has not attained the level of skill and expertise necessary to work independently and without close supervision.
(3) The employee is engaged in the operation of computers or in the manufacture, repair, or maintenance of computer hardware and related equipment.
(4) The employee is an engineer, drafter, machinist, or other professional whose work is highly dependent upon or facilitated by the use of computers and computer software programs and who is skilled in computer-aided design software, including CAD/CAM, but who is not in a computer systems analysis or programming occupation.
(5) The employee is a writer engaged in writing material, including box labels, product descriptions, documentation, promotional material, setup and installation instructions, and other similar written information, either for print or for onscreen media or who writes or provides content material intended to be read by customers, subscribers, or visitors to computer-related media such as the World Wide Web or CD-Roms.
(6) The employee is engaged in any of the activities set forth in subdivision (a) for the purpose of creating imagery for effects used in the motion picture, television, or theatrical industry.
2006 Text - The 2006 version of the law changes the numbering of the requirements slightly, but the requirements remain the same with the exception of the following:
(4) The employee's hourly rate of pay is not less than forty-one dollars ($41.00), or the annualized full-time salary equivalent of that rate, provided that all other requirements of this section are met and that in each workweek the employee receives not less than forty-one dollars ($41.00) per hour worked. The Division of Labor Statistics and Research shall adjust this pay rate on October 1 of each year to be effective on January 1 of the following year by an amount equal to the percentage increase in the California Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
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