Static educational checklist — not a calculator. No guarantee inputs, no weekly-hour engines, no live regular-rate or OT math. Spot common Belo / FLSA § 7(f) fixed-schedule guaranteed weekly wage red flags under Part 778 Subpart F (§§ 778.400–.414 and related). Distinct from fluctuating-workweek (§ 778.114), piece-rate / day-rate (§§ 778.111–.112), salary-basis / Part 541 exempt, rounding / auto-deduction, donning/doffing, compensatory-time, sleep-time, spread-of-hours, training-time, continuous-workday, on-call/waiting, travel-time, meal/rest, tip-credit, Part 516 recordkeeping, child-labor, final-paycheck, lactation/PUMP, and OT pay-stub pages.
Federal baseline
Section 7(f) of the FLSA (often called a Belo contract after Walling v. A.H. Belo Corp.) lets certain non-exempt employees with irregular hours work under a bona fide individual contract or CBA that (1) specifies a regular rate not less than the minimum wage and (2) provides a weekly guarantee for not more than 60 hours based on that rate (straight time for all hours in the guarantee plus the half-time OT premium built into the guarantee). When the statutory conditions are met, the guaranteed wage can satisfy OT for hours within the guarantee. This page does not compute guarantees, regular rates, or unpaid OT — it only flags common compliance red flags.
Checklist — Belo / § 7(f) red flags
“Belo” label with no irregular-hours necessity. Flag guaranteed weekly wages branded as Belo / § 7(f) where the job does not genuinely require irregular hours from week to week — a fixed 40-hour desk schedule with a flat weekly “guarantee” is not a § 7(f) arrangement.
No bona fide written contract or CBA specifying the regular rate. Flag handshake “guarantees,” handbook blurbs, or pay-code names that never state a regular hourly rate ≥ the applicable minimum and never document the § 7(f) terms — Subpart F expects a bona fide agreement with the required particulars.
Guarantee covers more than 60 hours. Flag weekly guarantees keyed to 65, 70, or “all hours you work” — § 7(f) limits the guarantee to not more than 60 hours; hours beyond a lawful guarantee still need separate OT analysis.
Stated “regular rate” below min wage or divorced from the guarantee math. Flag contracts that name a cosmetic hourly rate under the federal/state floor, or that never show how the weekly guarantee equals straight time for all guaranteed hours plus the half-time OT premium for OT hours inside the guarantee.
FWW (§ 778.114) or salary-basis Part 541 labels swapped in for Belo. Flag “fluctuating workweek,” “exempt salary,” or “fixed salary for fluctuating hours” branding on what is really a § 7(f) guarantee attempt — or the reverse. FWW, Part 541, and Belo are different doctrines with different tests.
Day-rate / piece-rate / job-rate dressed up as a Belo guarantee. Flag per-day, per-job, or piece earnings rebranded as a “weekly guarantee” without a true § 7(f) agreement, irregular-hours necessity, and ≤60-hour guarantee structure — §§ 778.111–.112 are different regular-rate paths.
“Guarantee already includes OT” used to wipe out hours outside the contract. Flag practices that pay the weekly guarantee and then refuse any further OT premium when actual hours exceed the guaranteed band (or exceed 40 when the arrangement fails § 7(f)) — a failed Belo defaults to ordinary regular-rate / OT rules.
Hours do not actually fluctuate; guarantee is a disguised fixed weekly wage for fixed hours. Flag employees who work the same hours every week under a “Belo” pay code — if hours never meaningfully vary, the irregular-hours premise collapses and ordinary OT math usually applies.
Recordkeeping that hides the regular rate, guarantee hours, or agreement terms. Flag stubs and time systems that show only a lump “salary/guarantee” with no hours, no stated regular rate, and no retained § 7(f) agreement — Part 516 still requires hours-worked and OT records for non-exempt employees.
State / local overlays ignored. Flag federal-only reliance where a state rejects or tightly limits Belo-style guarantees, requires daily OT that a weekly guarantee does not satisfy, mandates wage-statement fields the guarantee stub omits, or sets a higher min-wage floor under the stated regular rate. Always check the stricter overlay.