Static educational checklist — not a calculator. No punch inputs, no idle-gap math, no live call-in premium engine. Spot common continuous workday and report-time / short call-in red flags under FLSA Part 785 and selected state overlays. Distinct from on-call waiting, travel-time, meal/rest, recordkeeping, tip-credit, child-labor, and final-paycheck pages.
Federal baseline
Once the workday starts, periods when the employee is required to remain on duty or is engaged to wait generally count as hours worked even if idle. Early release and short call-ins raise separate questions under state reporting-time / call-in pay rules. This page does not compute minutes or premiums.
Checklist — continuous workday & report-time red flags
Early punch / pre-shift donning ignored. Flag policies that start the day at the scheduled start even when employees must clock in early for PPE, security, or boot-up. Portal-to-portal and Part 785 still look at when the first principal activity begins.
Idle gaps treated as unpaid “breaks” while on duty. Flag unpaid downtime when workers must stay on premises / on call for the next task. That is closer to engaged-to-wait than a bona fide off-duty meal.
Early release with unpaid remainder of scheduled shift. Flag “go home, clock out, no pay for leftover hours” when state reporting-time or call-in pay may still require a minimum. Federal FLSA alone does not create a general report-time premium — states often do.
Short call-in / show-up with truncated pay. Flag two-hour call-ins paid only for minutes worked where CA / NY / other reporting-time rules may set floors. Distinct from FLSA OT after 40.
Split shifts without checking continuous-day rules. Flag long unpaid gaps between AM/PM segments when the employee remains under control for a later call. Continuous-workday analysis can differ from a true off-duty split.
Travel mid-day treated as unpaid commute. Flag job-site-to-job-site travel coded as unpaid lunch or commute. Mid-day travel is usually hours worked even when home-to-work is not.
Timekeeping gaps hide continuous-day exposure. Flag missing punches around idle, early release, and call-in. Recordkeeping failures compound continuous-workday disputes.
State overlays ignored. Flag federal-only schedules in states with reporting-time, call-in, or split-shift premiums. Always check the stricter state rule.