Is It Legal To Work 24 Hours Straight As A Caregiver?

With caregivers, it is not uncommon that they may be required to complete shifts of 24 hours or longer. This is especially true for live-in caregivers.

In most cases, there aren’t any restrictions or laws that would prevent an employer from requiring someone to work for 24 hours straight as long as the employee is over the age of 16. There are, however, laws in place that may require employees to receive overtime pay or limit the hours for teenage workers.

Senior Care Overnight & 24 Hour Shifts

Under the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act, employees must receive pay for all the hours they work, regardless of the length of their shift – with the exception of unpaid meal periods. The employees must also be paid even if the employer allows them to sleep during their shift while it isn’t busy.

That being said, caregivers or household employees do not have to be paid for up to 8 hours of sleeping time when they work 24 consecutive hours or more. This information should be available in the employee terms of employee or contract. In most cases, even if the employee doesn’t sleep during the allowed sleeping time, they may still not get paid for that time.

Summary:

So, while it is legal to work 24 hours straight as a caregiver there are laws in place to help protect the employee and prevent unnecessary fatigue or stress.