Overtime, Differentials, and the Paycheck Leaks at Work

Most workers lose money not to big injustices but to unchecked small mechanisms: miscounted overtime, missed differentials, forgotten PTO payouts.

What the law owes you

Non-exempt workers earn 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 per week. State rules vary; daily overtime exists in California and a few other states. Bonuses and shift differentials can raise the overtime base. Most payrolls compute it flat, and nobody checks.

Keep an hour log for one month and reconcile it against paystubs. The discovery rate on mismatches, missed differentials, rounded-down minutes, unpaid onboarding time—it’s remarkable.

The voluntary leaks

Unused PTO at companies with use-it-or-lose-it policies is donated charity to the employer. Shift differentials, on-call pay, certification premiums, and referral bonuses go unclaimed because claiming them requires asking.

One spreadsheet, one month, one payroll conversation. The average found money here is $200-900/year, forever.