Exempt status requires both salary basis and duties test — federal FLSA only.
Texas has no state-specific exempt threshold above the federal. Workers classified as exempt must meet the FLSA's salary basis test (currently $684/week, $35,568/year) and pass one of the duties tests (executive, administrative, professional, computer, or outside sales). Misclassification is the single most common source of FLSA back-wage exposure — affecting everything from OT to final paychecks.
Exempt Classification Verification
Verifies workers tagged as exempt meet both the salary basis test and one of the duties tests. Surfaces classification risk for compliance review.
What those rules do when a worker is tagged exempt.
The hero card configuration: Block below salary floor, Avoid on suspicious duties-test patterns.
When a manager tags a worker as exempt, Teambridge verifies the salary meets the federal minimum. Below $684/week, the exempt tag fails to save. "Cannot classify exempt: salary below FLSA threshold."
When an exempt worker logs hours that suggest non-exempt duties (heavy time-card editing for hourly-equivalent tracking, frequent rate adjustments, or role title mismatches), Teambridge surfaces an Avoid indicator for compliance review.
Deploy classification verification in your Teambridge.
Tell us about your Texas workforce. We'll spin up classification verification and 13 other Texas policies in a sandbox tenant — including the role-title risk surfacing for misclassification audit defense.
Both tests must pass — neither alone is sufficient.
FLSA exempt classification is a two-part test: (1) the worker must be paid on a salary basis at or above the threshold, and (2) the worker's primary duties must fit one of the recognized exemption categories. Failing either test means the worker is non-exempt.
Salary basis test
The worker must be paid a fixed salary that is not subject to reduction based on quality or quantity of work performed. The salary must be at least $684 per week ($35,568 annually). Hourly-paid workers cannot be exempt under the white-collar exemptions, regardless of how high their hourly rate is.
Duties test categories
Executive: primary duty is management of the enterprise or a department, regularly directs the work of 2+ employees, has hire/fire authority. Administrative: primary duty is office or non-manual work directly related to management or general business operations, includes exercise of independent judgment. Professional: requires advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning customarily acquired by prolonged specialized instruction. Computer: specifically defined under § 541.400. Outside sales: primary duty is making sales away from the employer's place of business.
Teambridge verifies both halves of the test, every classification.
Most misclassification problems come from the duties test, not the salary test — but the salary test is a clear bright line that's easy to enforce automatically.
Threshold checked at classification.
When a worker is tagged exempt, Teambridge verifies the salary meets the federal $684/week minimum. Below this, the exempt tag is blocked at save.
Common misclassifications flagged.
Certain role titles correlate with high misclassification risk (assistant manager, lead, coordinator, supervisor). Workers in these titles tagged as exempt surface for compliance review at the workforce level.
Time-tracking patterns flag review.
Exempt workers don't typically clock in and out — their compensation is salary-based regardless of hours. When an exempt worker logs detailed hourly time, the pattern surfaces as an Avoid indicator for review.
Classification rationale logged.
Every classification decision is logged with the salary at time of classification, the duties-test category claimed, and the role description. Defensible against U.S. DOL or class-action audit.
Still evaluating? Get a free Texas compliance audit.
Send us your existing Texas scheduling and pay configuration. Our compliance team returns a written audit within 5 business days — every Texas-specific exposure ranked by risk and back-pay liability.