Alaska · public school bus driver
Alaska school bus driver wage floor (2× MW + after-8/40 OT)
AS 23.10.065(b)/(c) for public school bus drivers: straight-time floor = two times Alaska minimum wage ($14.00 as of 1 Jul 2026 → $28.00). No fringe credit toward the floor. Subsection (c) mid-contract freeze: a DEED / district / REAA school-bus contractor need not adjust under (b) until entering into or renewing the contract. Then AS 23.10.060 1.5× after 8 in a workday and after 40 in a workweek (daily-OT hours drop out of the weekly 40). No double time. Not /alaska-flat-rate-mechanic-overtime/ (75% flat track). Not /alaska-overtime/ (typed RR alone).
How AS 23.10.065(b)/(c) + 23.10.060 pay
Subject to the limitation under (c), an employer shall pay each person employed as a public school bus driver wages at a rate of not less than two times the minimum wage established under AS 23.10.065(a), for hours worked in a pay period, whether work is measured by time, commission, or otherwise. An employer may not apply fringe benefits as a credit toward payment of that minimum.
Subsection (c): notwithstanding (b), an employer who contracts with the Department of Education and Early Development, a school district, or a regional educational attendance area to provide school bus transportation services is not required to adjust school bus driver wages under (b) except when entering into or renewing the contract — the mid-contract freeze toggle on this page.
Alaska minimum wage is $14.00 per hour as of July 1, 2026 (DOLWD / Ballot Measure 1), so the typical 2× MW floor is $28.00. Overtime still follows AS 23.10.060: 1.5× after eight hours in a workday and after forty in a workweek, with hours already paid as daily overtime excluded from the weekly forty. There is no double-time band after twelve hours.
Rate at floor $28 · five 10h days → 40 × $28 + 10 × $42 = $1,540.
Typed $25 with freeze off → lifts to $28 → same $1,540.
Typed $25 with mid-contract freeze on → 40 × $25 + 10 × $37.50 = $1,375.
Same punches on /alaska-overtime/ at a $20 regular rate → 40 × $20 + 10 × $30 = $1,100.
Flat-rate mechanic at flat $40 → floor max($30, $28) = $30 → five 10h = $1,650 (different occupation and 75% track).
Four 10h days · $28 → 32 × $28 + 8 × $42 = $1,232 (still after-8 OT; not flex after-10).
One 13h day · $28 → 8 × $28 + 5 × $42 = $434 (no 2× after 12).
Sources
- Alaska Legislature AS 23.10.065 — Minimum wages (official; (b) school bus 2× MW; (c) mid-contract freeze)
- Alaska Legislature AS 23.10.060 — Payment for overtime (after 8/day + after 40/week)
- Alaska DOLWD — Minimum Wage Standard and Overtime Hours (school bus driver note)
- Alaska DOLWD Wage and Hour home — MW $14.00 as of 1 Jul 2026
- Alaska DOLWD Pamphlet 100 — Wage and Hour Act reprint incl. 23.10.065(b)/(c)
FAQ
What is the Alaska school bus driver wage floor?
AS 23.10.065(b): an employer shall pay each person employed as a public school bus driver not less than two times the Alaska minimum wage for hours worked in a pay period, whether measured by time, commission, or otherwise. Fringe benefits may not be applied as a credit toward that floor.
What is twice Alaska minimum wage in 2026?
Alaska minimum wage is $14.00 per hour as of July 1, 2026 (DOLWD / Ballot Measure 1). Twice that floor is $28.00 per hour for public school bus drivers.
What is the mid-contract freeze under AS 23.10.065(c)?
AS 23.10.065(c): a contractor who provides school bus transportation for the Department of Education and Early Development, a school district, or a regional educational attendance area is not required to adjust school bus driver wages under (b) except when entering into or renewing the contract.
Does overtime still apply after the 2× MW floor?
Yes. After the straight-time floor is set, AS 23.10.060 still requires 1.5× for hours over 8 in a workday and over 40 in a workweek, with daily-OT hours excluded from the weekly 40. There is no double time.
Is this the same as Alaska flat-rate mechanic overtime?
No. /alaska-flat-rate-mechanic-overtime/ is AS 23.10.060(d)(17): flat-rate auto mechanics use the greater of 75% of the agreed flat hourly rate or 2× MW. This page is AS 23.10.065(b)/(c) for public school bus drivers — a pure 2× MW occupation floor with no 75% flat track, plus a mid-contract freeze under (c).
Is this the same as the standard Alaska overtime page?
No. /alaska-overtime/ pays 1.5× after 8/day and after 40/week at the typed regular rate with no occupation minimum-wage floor. This page lifts (or freezes) the paid rate under the school-bus 2× MW rule, then applies the same after-8 / after-40 shape.