General Provisions
Pay as It Applies to Part-Time Employees
Background
A state employee (a person employed by a state agency in the executive or judicial branch of state government, or by a state institution of higher education; the presiding officer of the appropriate house of the Legislature determines if this policy applies to employees in the legislative branch of state government) working less than a standard 40 hours in a calendar week (or work week) is considered part time in executive and judicial agencies and institutions of higher education. The presiding officer of the appropriate house of the Legislature determines if this policy applies to employees in the legislative branch of state government.
Computing Salary for a Part-Time Employee
The rate of pay for a part-time employee is proportional to the rate authorized by the General Appropriations Act for a full-time employee in the same classified position, or if the position is not under the state’s position classification plan, for full-time employment in the applicable exempt or unclassified position.
The chart below illustrates salaries that are proportional to their full-time employee counterparts in the same position:
| Employee Workweek |
Full Time (40 HRS/WK) |
Part Time (30 HRS/WK) |
Part Time (20 HRS/WK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly rate: | $3,500.00 | $2,625.00 | $1,750.00 |
| Semimonthly rate: | $1,750.00 | $1,312.50 | $875.00 |
Example: An annual salary of $42,000 will be used to calculate two part-time employees’ full-time equivalency based on a 40-hour workweek.
Part time (30 hrs/wk):
$42,000/12 months = $3,500 monthly
$3,500/40 hours x 30 hours = $2,625 monthly
Part time (20 hrs/wk):
$42,000/12 months = $3,500 monthly
$3,500/40 hours x 20 hours = $1,750 monthly
Paying Hours Worked Over the Standard Schedule Versus Accruing State Compensatory Time
If the hours or days of work in the calendar week (a workweek) exceed the number of hours a part-time employee is designated to work, the employee may need to be compensated for the additional hours worked.
If the employee is not subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), the employee may be allowed to accrue compensatory time for the number of hours that exceed the number of hours the employee is designated to work during the workweek.
Otherwise, the employee subject to the FLSA must be paid for any hours actually worked over the hours they are designated to work. These hours are not calculated as overtime unless the employee works over 40 hours in the workweek. The hours worked over their scheduled hours – up to a total of 40 – are paid at the employee’s calculated hourly rate.
Benefits
Benefits related to health insurance may be different for part-time employees. For additional information on employee benefits, see the rate tool on the ERS website’s Rates for Active Employees page.
See policy statements concerning holidays, longevity, benefit replacement pay for state agencies, benefit replacement pay for institutions of higher education and hazardous duty for more information on part-time employees.
Sources
Texas Government Code, Sections 658.001(2), 658.009, 659.019(a)-(c); Texas Education Code, Section 61.003.