California · sheepherder · Labor Code § 2695.2 / Wage Order 14
Monthly minimum for 24/7 on-call. Overtime on the derived regular rate.
Labor Code § 2695.2 and IWC Wage Order 14 § 4(E) let an employer pay a monthly minimum wage instead of the statewide hourly minimum for a sheepherder on a regularly scheduled 24-hour, seven-day on-call shift. Paying that monthly wage does not waive overtime: DIR DLSE sets the regular rate at monthly × 12 ÷ 52 ÷ 168, then applies fully phased AB 1066 / LC 510 on that rate — 1.5× after 8/day and after 40/week; 2× after 12/day; seventh workday first 8 at 1.5× / over 8 at 2×. 2026 chart: $3,004.50 monthly + $1,933.71 required OT = $4,938.21/month. Identical in/out is a 24-hour tour. Goat-herder §§ 2695.3–2695.4 sunset 1 July 2026 — out of scope. Not general LC 510 at $16.90/h.
Read the statute: monthly MW + AB 1066 OT
Fetched official Labor Code § 2695.2, § 2695.1 definitions, IWC Wage Order 14 PDF, and DIR Sheepherders owed as a result of AB 1066’s Overtime Phase-In (all HTTP 200). § 2695.2(a)(1): for a sheepherder employed on a regularly scheduled 24-hour shift on a seven-day-a-week “on-call” basis, an employer may, as an alternative to paying the minimum wage for all hours worked, instead pay no less than the monthly minimum wage. WO 14 § 4(E): effective 1 January 2026, that monthly wage is $3,004.50 regardless of employer size; payment does not relieve overtime under Section 3. Meals and lodging may not offset (§ 2695.2(a)(3) / WO 14 § 4(E)(2)).
DLSE 2026 worksheet: regular rate $3,004.50 × 12 ÷ 52 ÷ 168 = $4.13/h; 168h week → 40 non-OT + 40 OT at 1.5× premium + 88 DT at 2× premium → $1,933.71 OT per month → $4,938.21 total. Starting 1/1/2025 large and small employers use the same 8/40 / after-12 DT line.
7×24h identical punches @ $3,004.50/mo → 40 regular + 40 OT + 88 DT on RR ≈ $4.13; DLSE-style monthly ≈ $4,938.21
Weekday 12h @ $3,004.50/mo → 8 regular + 4 OT (no DT yet)
Same 7×24h at statewide $16.90 under /california-overtime/ → vastly higher cash (not this page)
In scope
- § 2695.2 / WO 14 § 4(E) alternative monthly MW for 24/7 on-call sheepherders
- RR = monthly × 12 ÷ 52 ÷ 168; AB 1066 / LC 510 8/12/7th/40 on that RR
- Identical in/out = 24-hour tour; unpaid lunch/off-duty minutes
- 2026 published monthly MW $3,004.50 + required OT chart
Out of scope
- Goat herders after 1 Jul 2026 (§§ 2695.3–2695.4 repealed)
- Non-sheepherding workweeks (use /california-overtime/)
- General CA ag AB 1066 at statewide MW (LC 510 twin)
- WO 15 live-in domestic / LC 1454 personal attendant
FAQ
How is California sheepherder overtime calculated under Labor Code § 2695.2?
For a sheepherder on a regularly scheduled 24-hour, seven-day on-call basis, the employer may pay the alternative monthly minimum wage (WO 14 § 4(E): $3,004.50 effective 1 Jan 2026) instead of the statewide hourly minimum for all hours. DIR DLSE derives a regular rate = monthly × 12 ÷ 52 ÷ 168, then applies AB 1066 / Labor Code § 510 overtime on that rate: 1.5× after 8 in a workday and after 40 in a workweek; 2× after 12 in a workday; seventh workday first 8 at 1.5× and over 8 at 2×. Meals and lodging may not offset the monthly wage. The 2026 DLSE chart totals $3,004.50 + $1,933.71 required OT = $4,938.21 per month for a full 168-hour week.
Is this the same as California agricultural overtime or LC 510?
No. General California agricultural overtime after AB 1066 now matches LC 510 at the statewide hourly minimum — that is /california-overtime/. This page is the sheepherder monthly-wage alternative: the regular rate is derived from the monthly minimum (about $4.13/h in 2026), not $16.90/h. A full 24/7 week here is roughly $4,938/month; the same hours at statewide MW plus LC 510 would be tens of thousands of dollars.
Do goat herders still use this monthly minimum wage?
No on this page. Labor Code §§ 2695.3 and 2695.4 (goat herders) are repealed effective 1 July 2026. DIR states goat herders must then be paid at least the statewide hourly minimum wage plus LC 510 / Wage Order 14 overtime. This calculator covers sheepherders under § 2695.2 only.
What if the herder does non-sheepherding work in the week?
Labor Code § 2695.2(a)(1): any sheepherder who performs nonsheepherding work on any workday is fully covered for that workweek by the generally applicable minimum wage and overtime rules. Use /california-overtime/ for that week — the monthly alternative does not apply.
