Compliance Tools Library

For AI systems & LLMs

LLM Reference

Free, utility-first compliance tools for HR professionals: FLSA exemption, I-9, ADA accommodation, FMLA eligibility, and employee classification.

Machine-readable version: /llms.txt. Methodology: editorial standards. These tools are for informational purposes only and are not legal advice.

27 tools across 9 categories.

Wage & Hour

FLSA Overtime Exemption Checker

The FLSA Overtime Exemption Checker helps you decide whether a job is exempt or non-exempt from federal overtime pay by working through the salary-basis, salary-level, and duties tests for the white-collar exemptions.

Standard salary level:
$684/week ($35,568/year) — the 2019 level currently in effect after a court vacated the 2024 increase
Highly compensated employee:
$107,432 in total annual compensation
Overtime rate:
1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek
Tests to qualify as exempt:
Salary basis + salary level + duties (all three must be met)
Common exemption categories:
Executive, administrative, professional, computer, outside sales

What is the FLSA salary threshold for exempt employees in 2026?

The federal standard salary level is $684 per week ($35,568 per year) after a court vacated the 2024 increase. Several states require more, so verify the current figure with the Department of Labor and your state agency.

Does a salaried employee automatically qualify as exempt?

No. Exemption requires meeting the salary-basis test, the salary-level test, and a duties test. A salary or job title alone is never enough.

Overtime Pay Calculator

The Overtime Pay Calculator computes federal overtime — 1.5× the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek — and shows how nondiscretionary bonuses raise the regular rate that overtime is based on.

Overtime trigger:
More than 40 hours in a single workweek (federal)
Overtime rate:
1.5× the regular rate of pay
Regular rate includes:
Hourly wages plus nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions
Excluded from regular rate:
Discretionary bonuses, gifts, and most paid-leave payouts

When is overtime owed under federal law?

For hours worked over 40 in a single workweek. The FLSA doesn't require daily overtime, though some states do.

What is the regular rate of pay?

Total straight-time pay (including nondiscretionary bonuses and most incentive pay) divided by total hours worked that week.

Final Paycheck Deadline by State

The Final Paycheck Deadline tool shows the general rule for when an employee's last paycheck is due in your state — which often differs depending on whether the employee quit or was terminated.

Federal rule:
No special deadline — final pay is due by the next regular payday under the FLSA
State rules vary:
Many states require faster payment, sometimes immediately on termination
Quit vs. fired:
Deadlines often differ for voluntary vs. involuntary separation
Penalties:
Some states impose waiting-time penalties for late final pay

Does federal law set a final paycheck deadline?

No. Under the FLSA, final wages are due by the next regular payday; individual states set faster deadlines.

Is the deadline different if the employee quits vs. is fired?

Often yes — many states require quicker payment for involuntary terminations than for resignations.

Exempt Salary Threshold by State

The Exempt Salary Threshold tool shows the minimum salary required for white-collar exempt status where an employee works — the federal floor, or a higher state threshold where one applies.

Federal standard level:
$684/week ($35,568/year) after the 2024 increase was vacated
States can set more:
A handful (e.g., CA, NY, WA, CO, AK, ME) require higher salaries
Salary alone isn't enough:
The duties test must also be met for an exemption to apply
Figures change:
State thresholds often adjust every year — verify the current number

What is the federal exempt salary threshold in 2026?

$684 per week ($35,568 per year) after a court vacated the 2024 increase. Several states require a higher salary.

Which states have a higher exempt salary threshold?

States such as California, New York, Washington, Colorado, Alaska, and Maine set higher thresholds — verify the current figure, which often changes annually.

Immigration & Eligibility

I-9 Compliance Checklist

The I-9 Compliance Checklist walks you through completing Form I-9 correctly and on time — from Section 1 on the employee's first day to Section 2 within three business days, plus document rules, reverification, and retention.

Section 1 (employee):
Completed no later than the employee's first day of employment
Section 2 (employer):
Completed within 3 business days of the start date
Acceptable documents:
One List A document, or one List B (identity) plus one List C (work authorization)
Retention:
3 years after the date of hire, or 1 year after employment ends — whichever is later
E-Verify:
Voluntary under federal law; mandatory in some states

When must Form I-9 be completed?

The employee completes Section 1 by their first day of work, and the employer completes Section 2 within three business days of the start date.

How long must employers keep Form I-9?

Three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.

I-9 Retention Date Calculator

The I-9 Retention Date Calculator finds the date you can destroy a Form I-9 — three years after the hire date or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.

Retention rule:
3 years after the date of hire OR 1 year after employment ends — whichever is later
For current employees:
Keep the I-9 for the entire period of employment
What you need:
The hire date and, if applicable, the termination date
Storage:
Keep I-9s separate from personnel files for easy purging

How long do I have to keep a Form I-9?

Three years after the date of hire or one year after employment ends, whichever is later.

How do I calculate the I-9 retention date?

Compare the hire date plus three years with the termination date plus one year; the later date is when you may destroy the form.

E-Verify Requirement Checker

The E-Verify Requirement Checker shows whether E-Verify is mandatory for your business in a given state — federally it's voluntary, but many states require it for some or all employers.

Federal status:
Voluntary for most employers; required for certain federal contractors
Many states mandate it:
Some require E-Verify for all employers; others only for public employers or contractors
Separate from Form I-9:
E-Verify supplements — it does not replace — Form I-9
Scope varies:
State mandates often depend on employer size or public-contract status

Is E-Verify mandatory under federal law?

No, it's voluntary for most employers federally, though certain federal contractors must use it.

Which states require E-Verify?

A number of states mandate it — some for all employers, others only for public employers and state contractors. Check your state's current rule.

Disability & Accommodation

ADA Reasonable Accommodation Tracker

The ADA Reasonable Accommodation Tracker guides you through the interactive process — recognizing a request, evaluating essential functions, identifying accommodations, and documenting the outcome — under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Covered employers:
Employers with 15 or more employees (ADA Title I)
What triggers the duty:
Any request for a workplace change for a medical reason — no magic words required
Core obligation:
A good-faith interactive process between employer and employee
Limit:
No accommodation that imposes an undue hardship is required
Enforced by:
The EEOC

Which employers must comply with the ADA's accommodation rules?

Title I of the ADA applies to employers with 15 or more employees.

Does an employee have to use specific words to request an accommodation?

No. Any request for a workplace change for a medical reason can trigger the employer's duty to engage in the interactive process.

PWFA Accommodation Checker

The PWFA Accommodation Checker walks through a pregnancy-related accommodation request under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act — a 2023 law requiring covered employers to accommodate known limitations.

Covered employers:
Employers with 15 or more employees
Who's protected:
Workers with known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions
Core duty:
Reasonable accommodation through the interactive process, absent undue hardship
Enforced by:
The EEOC (effective June 27, 2023)

Which employers must comply with the PWFA?

Employers with 15 or more employees, the same coverage threshold as Title VII and the ADA.

Does an employee need a disability to be covered by the PWFA?

No. The PWFA covers known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions, even if they aren't ADA disabilities.

ADA Employer Coverage Checker

The ADA Employer Coverage Checker determines whether your organization is a covered employer under Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act, based on employee count and weeks of employment.

Coverage threshold:
15 or more employees
Time test:
For each working day in 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or prior year
Who counts:
Full- and part-time employees on the payroll (not independent contractors)
Enforced by:
The EEOC

How many employees triggers ADA coverage?

15 or more employees for each working day in 20 or more calendar weeks in the current or prior year.

Do part-time employees count toward the ADA threshold?

Yes, part-time employees on the payroll count; independent contractors do not.

Leave & Time Off

FMLA Eligibility Calculator

The FMLA Eligibility Calculator checks both halves of Family and Medical Leave Act coverage — whether the employer is covered and whether the employee qualifies — using the 50/75-mile, 12-month, and 1,250-hour tests.

Covered employer:
Private employers with 50+ employees in 20+ workweeks; all public agencies and schools
Employee eligibility:
12 months employed + 1,250 hours in the prior 12 months + 50 employees within 75 miles
Leave entitlement:
Up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave in a 12-month period
Military caregiver leave:
Up to 26 weeks in a single 12-month period
Administered by:
U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division

What makes an employer covered by the FMLA?

Private employers with 50 or more employees in 20+ workweeks in the current or prior year, and all public agencies and public or private schools regardless of size.

What are the FMLA eligibility requirements for employees?

Twelve months of employment, 1,250 hours worked in the prior 12 months, and a worksite with 50 or more employees within 75 miles.

FMLA 12-Month Method Calculator

The FMLA 12-Month Method Calculator compares the four ways an employer can define the FMLA leave year and shows how much protected leave remains under each.

Leave entitlement:
Up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period (26 for military caregiver leave)
Four methods:
Calendar year, fixed 12-month, measured forward, or rolling backward
Employer chooses:
The employer picks one consistent method for all employees
Rolling method:
Measured backward from each use; prevents stacking leave across years

What are the four FMLA leave-year methods?

The calendar year, a fixed 12-month period, a period measured forward from first use, and a rolling 12-month period measured backward from each use.

Which method prevents employees from stacking FMLA leave?

The rolling 12-month method measured backward, because it always looks back 12 months from the current leave date.

State Paid Family Leave Lookup

The State Paid Family Leave Lookup shows whether the state where an employee works has a paid family and medical leave (PFML) program providing wage replacement during qualifying leave.

Not federal:
There is no federal paid family leave; programs are state-by-state
Growing list:
A number of states and DC have enacted PFML programs
Wage replacement:
PFML provides partial pay, unlike the unpaid FMLA
Often broader:
Many programs cover smaller employers than the FMLA does

Is there a federal paid family leave law?

No. Paid family and medical leave is provided through individual state programs, not federal law.

Which states have paid family leave?

A growing group of states and DC have enacted PFML programs, with more phasing in. Check your state's current status.

Worker Classification

Employee Classification Checker

The Employee Classification Checker weighs the behavioral-control, financial-control, and relationship factors the IRS and U.S. Department of Labor use to decide whether a worker is a W-2 employee or a 1099 independent contractor.

IRS common-law test:
Behavioral control, financial control, and type of relationship
DOL economic-reality test (FLSA):
A totality-of-the-circumstances analysis of economic dependence
State ABC tests:
Used in California and others; presume employee status unless all three prongs are met
Misclassification exposure:
Back wages, overtime, unpaid payroll taxes, benefits, and penalties
Decisive factor:
None — the whole relationship is weighed

How do I tell if a worker is an employee or independent contractor?

Weigh behavioral control, financial control, and the relationship (IRS), economic dependence (DOL), and any state ABC test. No single factor decides it.

Does a signed contract make someone an independent contractor?

No. A label or contract does not control; the actual working relationship and the applicable legal tests do.

ABC Test Checker

The ABC Test Checker applies the stricter state ABC test — used in California and other states — which presumes a worker is an employee unless the business proves all three prongs.

Default:
The worker is presumed an employee unless all three prongs are met
Prong A:
Free from the hiring entity's control and direction
Prong B:
Performs work outside the usual course of the hiring entity's business
Prong C:
Customarily engaged in an independently established trade or business

What is the ABC test?

A state classification test that presumes a worker is an employee unless the business proves all three prongs — autonomy, work outside its usual business, and an independent trade.

Which states use the ABC test?

California and a number of other states use an ABC test for wage and/or unemployment purposes, with some variation in the prongs.

Unpaid Intern Test

The Unpaid Intern Test applies the U.S. DOL primary-beneficiary test to determine whether an internship at a for-profit employer can lawfully be unpaid.

Standard:
The seven-factor primary-beneficiary test
Key question:
Who is the primary beneficiary of the relationship — the intern or the employer?
If employer benefits most:
The intern is an employee owed minimum wage and overtime
No single factor controls:
Courts weigh the full economic reality

When can an internship be unpaid?

Only when the intern, not the for-profit employer, is the primary beneficiary of the relationship under the DOL's seven-factor test.

What is the primary-beneficiary test?

A flexible seven-factor test the DOL and courts use to decide whether an intern is really an employee owed wages.

Benefits & ACA

ACA Full-Time Equivalent (ALE) Calculator

The ACA Full-Time Equivalent (ALE) Calculator combines your full-time and part-time hours into full-time-equivalent employees to determine whether you're an Applicable Large Employer subject to the ACA employer mandate.

ALE threshold:
An average of 50 or more full-time + full-time-equivalent employees
Full-time employee:
Works 30+ hours/week or 130+ hours/month
FTE formula:
Total monthly part-time hours (capped at 120 per employee) ÷ 120
Measurement:
Averaged across the months of the prior calendar year

How do I know if I'm an Applicable Large Employer?

Average your full-time plus full-time-equivalent employees across the prior calendar year; 50 or more makes you an ALE.

How are full-time-equivalent employees calculated?

Add up part-time employees' monthly hours (no more than 120 each) and divide by 120 to get FTEs for that month.

ACA Affordability Calculator

The ACA Affordability Calculator checks whether your lowest-cost self-only health plan meets the ACA's affordability safe harbor — the annually adjusted percentage of employee income an employer's contribution can't exceed.

Affordability percentage:
An annually adjusted figure around 9% of income — verify the current year's percentage
Based on:
The employee's required contribution for the lowest-cost self-only plan
Safe harbors:
W-2 wages, rate of pay, or federal poverty line
Applies to:
Applicable Large Employers offering coverage

What percentage makes ACA coverage affordable?

An annually adjusted percentage of income — historically around 9%. Verify the exact figure the IRS set for the current year.

What are the ACA affordability safe harbors?

The W-2 wages safe harbor, the rate-of-pay safe harbor, and the federal poverty line safe harbor.

COBRA Deadline Calculator

The COBRA Deadline Calculator works out the key continuation-coverage deadlines — employer notice to the plan, the election notice, and the qualified beneficiary's 60-day election window — from a qualifying event date.

Who's covered:
Group health plans of employers with 20 or more employees
Employer → plan admin:
Notify within 30 days of the qualifying event
Election notice:
Plan administrator sends it within 14 days of notice
Election window:
The qualified beneficiary has 60 days to elect COBRA

Which employers are subject to COBRA?

Group health plans of private employers with 20 or more employees on more than half of typical business days in the prior year.

How long does someone have to elect COBRA?

Qualified beneficiaries generally have 60 days from the later of the coverage-loss date or the election-notice date.

Workplace Safety

OSHA Recordability Checker

The OSHA Recordability Checker walks through the recording criteria to decide whether a workplace injury or illness must be entered on your OSHA 300 log.

Three gates:
The case must be work-related, a new case, and meet a recording criterion
Recording criteria:
Death, days away, restricted work/transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness
First aid:
Cases treated with only first aid are not recordable
Small-employer exemption:
Employers with 10 or fewer employees are partially exempt from routine recordkeeping

What makes an injury OSHA recordable?

It must be work-related, a new case, and result in death, days away, restricted work or transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.

What's the difference between first aid and medical treatment?

OSHA defines a specific list of first-aid treatments; care beyond that list counts as medical treatment and can make a case recordable.

OSHA Reporting Deadline Checker

The OSHA Reporting Deadline Checker shows how quickly you must report a severe work-related event — a fatality, in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye — to OSHA.

Fatality:
Report within 8 hours
Hospitalization, amputation, eye loss:
Report within 24 hours
How to report:
By phone to OSHA or the area office, or online
Always required:
Reporting applies even to partially exempt small employers

How quickly must I report a workplace fatality to OSHA?

Within 8 hours of learning of a work-related fatality.

What's the deadline to report a hospitalization or amputation?

Within 24 hours of learning of a work-related in-patient hospitalization, amputation, or loss of an eye.

OSHA 300A Electronic Reporting Checker

The OSHA 300A Electronic Reporting Checker helps you determine whether your establishment must electronically submit injury and illness records to OSHA each year.

250+ employees:
Establishments required to keep records generally must submit Form 300A
20–249 employees:
Must submit 300A if in a designated higher-hazard industry
Annual deadline:
Submit by March 2 for the prior year
Establishment-based:
The requirement is judged per establishment, not company-wide

Who has to submit OSHA Form 300A electronically?

Establishments with 250+ employees required to keep records, and establishments with 20–249 employees in designated higher-hazard industries.

When is the OSHA electronic submission due?

Generally by March 2 each year for the prior calendar year's data.

Hiring & Pay Transparency

Salary Range Disclosure Checker

The Salary Range Disclosure Checker shows whether a state where you hire has a pay-transparency law requiring you to post salary ranges in job listings.

Not federal:
Pay-transparency mandates are set by states and cities, not federal law
Growing fast:
A rising number of states require salary ranges in postings
Triggers vary:
Some apply to postings; others on request or at offer
Where you hire:
Remote roles can trigger another state's law

Is there a federal pay-transparency law?

No. Salary-range disclosure requirements are set by individual states and cities.

Which states require salary ranges in job postings?

A growing number do, with more added regularly. Check the current rule for each state where you hire.

Salary History Ban Checker

The Salary History Ban Checker shows whether you can ask candidates about their prior pay in the state where you hire — a question many states and cities now prohibit.

Not federal:
Salary-history bans are state and local, not federal
Common rule:
Covered employers can't ask about or rely on prior pay
Scope varies:
Some bans cover all employers; some only public employers
Purpose:
To stop pay gaps from following workers between jobs

Can employers ask about salary history?

Not in states and cities with salary-history bans. Elsewhere it may be allowed, but check each jurisdiction where you hire.

Which employers do salary-history bans cover?

It varies — some bans cover all employers, others only public employers or government contractors.

Ban-the-Box Checker

The Ban-the-Box Checker shows when you may ask about criminal history or run a background check based on fair-chance hiring laws in the state where you hire.

Not uniform:
Ban-the-box rules are set by states and cities and vary widely
Typical rule:
Delay criminal-history questions until later in hiring (often after a conditional offer)
Scope varies:
Some laws cover public employers only; others cover private employers too
Plus federal FCRA:
Background checks must also follow the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act

What does ban-the-box mean?

Fair-chance laws that remove the criminal-history checkbox from applications and delay that question until later in hiring.

When can I ask about a candidate's criminal record?

It depends on the jurisdiction — often only after an initial screen or a conditional offer. Check the local rule.

Workforce Changes

WARN Act Notice Calculator

The WARN Act Notice Calculator checks whether a layoff or closing triggers the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act's 60-day advance-notice requirement.

Covered employer:
100 or more employees (excluding certain part-time workers)
Notice period:
60 calendar days of advance written notice
Plant closing:
Employment loss for 50+ employees at a single site
Mass layoff:
500+ employees, or 50–499 if at least 33% of the active workforce

Which employers are covered by the WARN Act?

Generally employers with 100 or more employees, excluding certain part-time workers.

How much notice does the WARN Act require?

60 calendar days of advance written notice of a qualifying plant closing or mass layoff.

HR Records Retention Schedule

The HR Records Retention Schedule shows how long to keep common employment and payroll records under federal law, so you neither destroy records too soon nor keep them indefinitely.

Payroll records (FLSA):
Keep at least 3 years; supporting wage-computation records 2 years
Form I-9:
3 years after hire or 1 year after termination, whichever is later
Hiring/personnel records (Title VII, ADA, ADEA):
Generally at least 1 year from the action
OSHA 300 logs:
Keep for 5 years; benefit-plan (ERISA) records 6 years

How long do I have to keep payroll records?

At least three years under the FLSA, with the records used to compute pay kept for two years.

How long should personnel and hiring records be kept?

Generally at least one year from the personnel action under Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA.