Professional Exemption

The professional exemption refers to certain jobs where employees are not entitled to overtime pay because their roles require specialized knowledge, advanced education, or specialized skills. Typically, these positions are in fields like law, medicine, teaching, or engineering. The exemption assumes that professionals, due to their expertise and responsibilities, are compensated with a salary that reflects their specialized work, and they regularly exercise discretion and judgment. Therefore, they are generally not covered by standard overtime rules, although specific criteria must be met for the exemption to apply legally.