Are Nurses Exempt or Nonexempt?

The Department of Labor's rules implementing the Fair Labor Standards Act specifically categorizes registered nurses as non-exempt, meaning that they must be paid overtime.

Are nurses exempt?

Federal regulations explicitly address the professional exemption's application to nurses noting registered nurses who are licensed by the state are generally exempt, whereas licensed practical nurses generally do not meet the exemption's requirements.

Are nurses salaried?

RNs who get a salary have a higher annual gross income than RNs who are paid by the hour. Salaried RNs earned $84,000 on average in 2019, versus hourly RNs, who earned an average of $79,000.