Travel Time Pay Calculator
Calculate how much travel pay you're owed under FLSA and state law, including commute, site-to-site, special one-day, and overnight travel — with stricter rules for CA, WA, MA, NV, and OR.
Your Hourly Rate
Type of Travel
Total Travel Hours
Total clock time spent traveling for this trip or scenario.
Your Normal One-Way Commute
Per 29 CFR 785.37, your employer can deduct your normal one-way commute from travel time on a special one-day assignment.
Hours In Your Normal Workday Window
Of your total travel hours, how many fall within your normal workday window (on any day of the week, including weekends) per 29 CFR 785.39.
Applicable State Law
CA, WA, MA, NV, and OR have travel-pay rules stricter than the FLSA. Whichever rule pays you more applies.
Other Hours Worked This Week
Non-travel hours you've already worked in the same workweek. Used to determine overtime.
Force Overtime On This Travel?
Overtime auto-triggers when your other hours plus compensable travel exceeds 40. Choose "Yes" to force OT rates regardless.
Separate Travel Rate (Optional)
FLSA permits a separate (lower) travel rate, provided it's at or above minimum wage and the regular rate used for overtime is properly blended. Leave blank to use your hourly rate.
Estimates only. Not legal advice. If you think you're owed back wages, file a claim with your state's labor agency or the federal Wage and Hour Division.
Track Travel Time and Get Paid Right
The app logs every trip, gap, and shift, so you have a clean record if you ever need to claim travel-time back pay.
The Portal-to-Portal Act and What the FLSA Actually Covers
Before 1947, courts had begun ruling that activities like mine workers' underground travel from the pit entrance to the coal face were compensable "hours worked." Employers pushed back, Congress responded, and the Portal-to-Portal Act of 1947 carved out a major exclusion: ordinary travel to and from the place where the principal activity is performed is generally not compensable under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
What's left, after that carve-out, is what most workers actually care about. The Department of Labor codified the surviving rules in 29 CFR Part 785, Subpart C. Four buckets matter: home-to-work commutes (not paid), travel between worksites during the workday (paid), special one-day out-of-town trips (paid, less your normal commute), and overnight travel that cuts across your regular workday hours (paid for the workday-window portion).
The Four FLSA Travel Categories: Quick Reference
This table is the heart of the analysis. Pick the row that matches your scenario, then check the state-law section below for stricter rules that may apply.
| Travel Scenario | FLSA Rule | Compensable? | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal commute home → work | Portal-to-Portal Act exclusion | No | 29 CFR 785.35 |
| Worksite to worksite, same day | Continuous workday doctrine | Yes (all hours) | 29 CFR 785.38 |
| Special one-day out-of-town assignment | Travel for employer's benefit | Yes, minus one-way commute | 29 CFR 785.37 |
| Overnight travel, during normal workday window | Hours-cutting-across-workday rule | Yes (hours in window, any day Mon–Sun) | 29 CFR 785.39 |
| Required offsite training or meeting | Hours worked = duty | Yes if mandatory | 29 CFR 785.27 |
| Emergency call after hours | Travel as principal activity | Yes | 29 CFR 785.36 |
State Laws Stricter Than Federal
Five states give workers more than the federal floor. Whichever rule (state or federal) produces more pay is the one that applies.
California
Under Morillion v. Royal Packing (2000) and the DLSE Manual §46.3, if your employer requires you to meet at a designated location or controls your transportation, the travel time from that meeting point onward is compensable. California also rejects the federal "minus one-way commute" deduction for special one-day assignments, so full travel time is paid. See the DLSE Opinion Letter 2003-04-22.
Washington
The Washington Supreme Court's 2021 ruling in Port of Tacoma v. Sacks, plus WAC 296-126-002(8) and L&I Admin Policy ES.C.2, require employers to pay for all out-of-town travel time, not just the portion that falls inside a normal workday window.
Massachusetts
Under 454 CMR 27.04(4), "all travel time over the ordinary commute" is compensable. Massachusetts is the only state that explicitly applies this to standard commutes that exceed the worker's usual route.
Nevada
NRS 608.018 treats travel performed as part of an employee's duties as hours worked. In practice, Nevada follows Washington's lead for site-to-site, special-one-day, and overnight scenarios.
Oregon
OAR 839-020-0045 makes any travel "at the employer's direction" compensable. Like Washington and Nevada, Oregon does not apply the federal workday-window cutoff to overnight travel.
Travel Pay and Overtime: How They Interact
Compensable travel hours count as hours worked. If your non-travel hours plus compensable travel push you past 40 in a workweek, the excess is paid at 1.5× your regular rate per 29 USC 207.
The FLSA also permits employers to pay travel at a separate (lower) rate, provided it's at least the minimum wage and the regular rate used for overtime is properly blended across all hours worked. If your employer does this, use our Regular Rate of Pay Calculator to compute the blended rate. The 2018 DOL Opinion Letter FLSA 2018-18 describes the acceptable methods for estimating compensable travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about travel time pay calculator
Do I have to be paid for my commute?
Generally no under federal law (29 CFR 785.35 and the Portal-to-Portal Act). Exceptions apply in California (when the employer requires a meeting point, controls transportation, or prohibits personal vehicles) and Massachusetts (any travel beyond the ordinary commute).
Is travel between job sites paid?
Yes. Under 29 CFR 785.38, all travel from one worksite to another during the same workday is hours worked and must be paid.
What is the special one-day assignment rule?
Under 29 CFR 785.37, if your employer sends you out of town for a one-day assignment, the round-trip travel time is compensable, but the employer can deduct your normal one-way commute. California ignores this deduction.
Do overnight travel hours need to be paid?
Per 29 CFR 785.39, only the hours that fall within your normal workday window are compensable, though this applies to any day of the week, including weekends. Washington state law (and Port of Tacoma v. Sacks) requires payment for ALL out-of-town travel hours regardless of workday window.
Does travel time count toward overtime?
Yes. Compensable travel hours count as hours worked under the FLSA. If your regular hours plus compensable travel exceed 40 in a workweek, the excess is paid at 1.5× your regular rate (29 USC 207).
Are some states stricter than federal law?
Yes. California, Washington, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Oregon all have travel-pay rules stricter than the FLSA. Whichever law gives the employee more pay applies.
Does my employer have to pay for travel time if I'm driving?
If you're driving as part of work (between sites, on a special assignment, or during overnight travel that cuts across the workday), yes. Driving from home to your regular work site is not paid under federal law.
Can my employer pay a different rate for travel time?
Yes. The FLSA allows a separate (lower) rate for travel time, provided it's at least the minimum wage and the regular rate used for overtime is properly blended. See our Regular Rate of Pay calculator for the blended-rate math.