District of Columbia overtime rules for home care workers

In District of Columbia, overtime is time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek. The state minimum wage is $18.40 an hour. The federal Home Care Rule bars agencies from the companionship and live-in exemptions, though the Department of Labor stopped enforcing it against agencies in July 2025 while it considers undoing it. Whether District of Columbia's own law requires it is unclear.

What are District of Columbia's overtime and minimum wage rules?

Rose from $17.95 to $18.40 on 2026-07-01 for all employers regardless of size; adjusted each July 1 by CPI.

Does District of Columbia law require overtime for agency caregivers?

Unclear. The D.C. statute requires 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours and lists no companion or home care exemption (D.C. Code 32-1003, 32-1004). But a D.C. regulation exempts anyone "employed as a companion for the aged or infirm" from D.C. overtime, without limiting it to household employers (7 DCMR 902.5), and the Attorney General still lists it. If the federal exemption returns, agency companions may have no D.C. overtime right; no court has decided whether the regulation can override the statute.

Does District of Columbia have special rules for home care workers?

The D.C. Minimum Wage Act covers home care workers for minimum wage, and its statutory exceptions (D.C. Code 32-1004) list no companion or home care exemption from overtime. A regulation, 7 DCMR 902.5, exempts live-in private household workers and companions for the aged or infirm from D.C. overtime (not minimum wage); a companion is someone who spends no more than 20% of their time on unrelated household work (7 DCMR 999.2).

Can sleep time be unpaid on 24-hour shifts in District of Columbia?

D.C. follows the federal hours-worked rules (D.C. Code 32-1002): on duty of 24 hours or more, up to 8 hours of sleep can be excluded by agreement if adequate sleeping facilities are provided, and if the worker gets less than 5 hours of sleep the whole period is paid.