What is Exempt Employee?

An exempt employee is one who is excluded from FLSA overtime provisions. To qualify as exempt, an employee must: (1) be paid on a salary basis, (2) earn at least $35,568/year ($684/week), and (3) perform exempt job duties (executive, administrative, professional, computer, or outside sales). Exempt employees receive the same pay regardless of hours worked — they don't earn overtime, but they also aren't docked for working less than 40 hours.