Do travel days count as work?

Time spent traveling during normal work hours is considered compensable work time.



Whether travel days count as "work" for pay purposes depends on your employment status and the timing of the travel. For non-exempt (hourly) employees in 2026, travel that occurs during your normal working hours is almost always compensable, even if it falls on a weekend. For example, if you typically work 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and you fly on a Sunday at 2:00 PM, those three hours must be paid. However, if you are the passenger on an overnight flight outside of work hours, it generally does not count as work unless you are actively performing tasks. For exempt (salaried) employees, travel days usually do not result in extra pay, as their salary covers all duties regardless of hours. Legally, a "travel day" is considered work if the employee is required to drive or perform work while in transit, but "normal commuting" from home to a regular office never counts as work time.

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