FAR and DFARS › FAR Part 52: Solicitation Provisions and Contract Clauses › Subpart 52.2

FAR 52.222-4 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards—Overtime Compensation.

The codified text (eCFR, as of 2026-10-02). Under the Revolutionary FAR Overhaul ↗, agencies follow class deviations with new text for many parts while the formal rules go through the Federal Register: check the solicitation and your contract's clauses, which rule.

In plain English

This clause requires contractors and subcontractors to pay laborers and mechanics at least 1.5 times their basic rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. It also makes them liable for unpaid wages and liquidated damages, requires payroll records, and requires the clause to be passed down to subcontracts. It matters because it sets overtime pay, recordkeeping, and flow-down obligations on covered contracts.

Applies to: Contractors and subcontractors employing laborers or mechanics on covered contracts

What it requires

  • Pay at least 1.5 times the basic rate of pay for each hour worked over 40 in a workweek
  • Maintain payrolls and basic payroll records for laborers and mechanics during the contract and make them available to the Government until 3 years after contract completion
  • Allow authorized representatives of the Contracting Officer or Department of Labor to inspect, copy, or transcribe records and interview employees in the workplace during working hours
  • Insert paragraphs (a) through (d) in subcontracts that may require or involve the employment of laborers and mechanics and require subcontractors to include these provisions in lower tier subcontracts

Key terms: laborers or mechanics · basic rate of pay · liquidated damages · unpaid wages · subcontracts

Written by AI from this section's text. A guide, not legal advice: the text below rules.

The text

As prescribed in 22.305, insert the following clause:

Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards—Overtime Compensation (MAY 2018)

(a) Overtime requirements. No Contractor or subcontractor employing laborers or mechanics (see Federal Acquisition Regulation 22.300) shall require or permit them to work over 40 hours in any workweek unless they are paid at least 1 and 1/2 times the basic rate of pay for each hour worked over 40 hours.

(b) Violation; liability for unpaid wages; liquidated damages. The responsible Contractor and subcontractor are liable for unpaid wages if they violate the terms in paragraph (a) of this clause. In addition, the Contractor and subcontractor are liable for liquidated damages payable to the Government. The Contracting Officer will assess liquidated damages at the rate specified at 29 CFR 5.5(b)(2) per affected employee for each calendar day on which the employer required or permitted the employee to work in excess of the standard workweek of 40 hours without paying overtime wages required by the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards statute (found at 40 U.S.C. chapter 37). In accordance with the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act of 1990 (28 U.S.C. 2461 Note), the Department of Labor adjusts this civil monetary penalty for inflation no later than January 15 each year.

(c) Withholding for unpaid wages and liquidated damages. The Contracting Officer will withhold from payments due under the contract sufficient funds required to satisfy any Contractor or subcontractor liabilities for unpaid wages and liquidated damages. If amounts withheld under the contract are insufficient to satisfy Contractor or subcontractor liabilities, the Contracting Officer will withhold payments from other Federal or Federally assisted contracts held by the same Contractor that are subject to the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards statute.

(d) Payrolls and basic records. (1) The Contractor and its subcontractors shall maintain payrolls and basic payroll records for all laborers and mechanics working on the contract during the contract and shall make them available to the Government until 3 years after contract completion. The records shall contain the name and address of each employee, social security number, labor classifications, hourly rates of wages paid, daily and weekly number of hours worked, deductions made, and actual wages paid. The records need not duplicate those required for construction work by Department of Labor regulations at 29 CFR 5.5(a)(3) implementing the Construction Wage Rate Requirements statute.

(2) The Contractor and its subcontractors shall allow authorized representatives of the Contracting Officer or the Department of Labor to inspect, copy, or transcribe records maintained under paragraph (d)(1) of this clause. The Contractor or subcontractor also shall allow authorized representatives of the Contracting Officer or Department of Labor to interview employees in the workplace during working hours.

(e) Subcontracts. The Contractor shall insert the provisions set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this clause in subcontracts that may require or involve the employment of laborers and mechanics and require subcontractors to include these provisions in any such lower tier subcontracts. The Contractor shall be responsible for compliance by any subcontractor or lower-tier subcontractor with the provisions set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this clause.

(End of clause)

Sections it refers to

Sections that refer to it

  • 13.006 Inapplicable provisions and clauses.
  • 22.305 Contract clause.
  • 22.403-3 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards.
  • 50.103-7 Contract requirements.

← 52.222-3 Convict Labor. · 52.222-5 Construction Wage Rate Requirements—Secondary Site of the Work. →

Rule changes for FAR Part 52

Source: eCFR, 48 CFR chapters 1 and 2 (GPO GovInfo bulk data) ↗. Plain words for the terms: glossary.

FAR 52.222-4 Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards—Overtime Compensation · SpendQuery