Question

Jobs in architectural firms in the United States are classified by the Fair Labor Standards Act as either exempt or non-exempt. What impact does this have on architectural interns?

Answer

Exempt employees must be salaried, earn a minimum of $455 per week or $23,660 annually, and must be paid the salary amount regardless of the number of hours worked. In other words, they are not paid more for working overtime or less for working under 40 hours a week. An exempt employee must also have certain duties or responsibilities within a firm not usually required of interns, such as management, administration, or professional (licensed).

For an intern, being non-exempt means that they must receive pay for every hour worked and time-and-a-half for any time worked over 40 hours a week. Note that "overtime" and "non-exempt" are defined in both federal and state law and individual states may have refinements on what is noted above.