Starting in about six months, for the first time in more than 15 years salaried workers in Washington state who earn more than $23,700 a year will be eligible for overtime pay.

The new overtime protections, finalized last week by Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries, are the first step in an eight-year plan to compensate workers for all of the hours they work.

On July 1, 2020, workers making up to $35,100 per year will be entitled to time-and-a-half pay for every hour worked over 40 hours per week. Six months after that, the threshold will jump to about $43,000 for workers at smaller companies and about $50,000 for those at larger employers.

The threshold will continue to rise incrementally until it reaches 2.5 times the state minimum wage—about $83,400 in 2028—and then continue to rise with inflation, according to a Washington L&I fact sheet on the new rule. By that point, nearly 260,000 Washington workers will become eligible for overtime protections.

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