• Kansas defines "overtime" as working more than 46 hours in a week.Kansas state contour with Capital City against blurred USA flag image by Stasys Eidiejus from Fotolia.com
  
  Kansas' rules for paying wages to workers are spelled out in Chapter 44 of the Kansas Statutes. The state's laws have some areas of overlap with federal statutes, particularly concerning overtime. The state Labor Department says that workers who are unsure whether federal or state laws apply to their workplace should call the Kansas City, Kansas, office of the U.S. Department of Labor at 913-551-5721.
  
  

Minimum Wage

• As of 2010, the minimum wage in Kansas was $7.25 an hour. This is the same as the federal minimum wage. For employees who usually receive tips on the job, employers must pay a wage of at least $2.13 an hour. If that amount plus an employee's tips comes out to at least $7.25 an hour, then the employer doesn't have to chip in more. However, if $2.13 plus tip income comes out to less than $7.25 an hour, the employer has to make up the difference.
  
  

Overtime

• Under Kansas law, employees who work more than 46 hours in a week are entitled to overtime pay. Overtime must be at least "time and a half"--that is, one and a half times the worker's hourly wage for every hour over 46. Under federal law, however, certain workers are entitled to time and a half for every hour worked over 40. Employees of companies that engage in interstate commerce and conduct more than $500,000 worth of business in a year are covered by the federal overtime rules rather than the Kansas rules.
  
  Kansas law says that any workers exempt from the federal overtime-pay requirement are also exempt from the state requirement. Federally exempt workers include all executive, administrative and professional employees, including teachers. In addition, Kansas exempts anyone who sells motor vehicles.
  
  

Sex Discrimination

• In setting employees' pay, Kansas employers are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of sex. That doesn't mean men and women must get equal pay for equal work, but rather that the criteria for determining their pay must be equal. They must be equally eligible for pay based on seniority, merit or productivity.
  
  

Paydays

• Employers in Kansas are free to pay their employees on whatever schedule they want, such as weekly, biweekly or monthly. However, there must be at least one payday in each calendar month. A payday must come no more than 15 days after the end of the pay period. So, for example, if a company has a two-week pay period from March 1 to March 14, employees must be paid for that time by March 29.