What constitutes 'full time' vs. 'part time'?

dresendes

Is there a particular number of hours that a person can work per week before being considered full time and be offered benefits?

NaeNae55

Generally up to your own company policies (which is often influenced by your benefit contracts). Some places consider 30 hours full time and otheres say 39 isn't. We consider 40 full time, but you only need to be scheduled half-time to qualify for benefits.

You might also have a state law which governs this. Check with your state DOL.

Good luck!

Nae

HRCalico

Welcome to the forum! Our insurance contract says employees must work 35 hours to be eligible, but if an employee is regularly scheduled for less than 40 hours, they only get 50% of vacation time. Under 20 gets nothing. Like Nae says, it depends mostly on what you set.

KathyHR

We set our own threshold. A person who works 40 hours is full-time. Anyone less than that is part-time. The most set hours a part-timer has is 32 the minimum is 10. They are eligible for our health insurance if they work a regularly scheduled 25 hours per week but they have to pay 100% of the insurance, whereas full-timers only pay 10%.

Wildsporty

We consider employee's full time at 30 hours and pay 100% of their benefits. 20 to 29 hours is part time and they pay 50% of their benefits. Under 20 hours is considered temporary help and is not covered by any benefits.

Shirley

LarryC

Dresendes, you'll probably find that a majority of employers go with the 30 hour threshold. It is up to the employers unless state law dictates otherwise. Our state is shockingly silent on this issue. I suspect they're all too busy writing the regulations for the State Health Dept. to monitor church potlucks.

Y'all probably think I'm kidding.

njjel

We work a 35 hour work week and our part time requirement is 28 hours (4 days) before the ee is eligible to receive our benefits.

HRCalico

Larry, I'm disappointed this post doesn't have a "Land of 10,000" somethings reference! But seriously, you can't be too careful when it comes to regulating hot dish. That's serious business.

LarryC

OK, Lenetta, just for you, hon. Here in the Land of 10,000 Ways to Combine Rice, Meat, and Campbells Cream of Whatever Soup Into a Hotdish the hot topic amongst our Elected Elite is also how to regulate the sale of canned pickles and jams at farmer's markets. Also on the priority list is how to properly dispose of dead mosquitos. Nevermind that their are spent nuclear rods sitting at the Prairie Island Nuclear plant waiting for instructions on proper disposal and shipment. First things first.

pork1

DRESENDES: Once upon a time, during my last encounter with the DOL "wage and hour auditors", I was instructed that anyone working greater than 32 hours a week for 16 straight weeks is their guide for when the company appears to be using this fact to deny the ee benefits, etc. I would suggest that you contact the friendly wage and hour folks in your state and ask the question. It has been several years since I was involved in a wage and hour audit; things may have changed. I have used that guideline and implemented same into 5 different companies and it worked for us each time. But then I never had any employer or boss wanting to stick it to ees to save a minor amount of business cost. It is not in the words under the FLSA, so your company policy and implementation will most likely rule.

PORK