Standby Pay FAQs

Standby pay is compensation for employees who are not actively working but are required to be immediately available for duty. Standby work must be an essential function of the position to qualify for standby pay. It is not applicable during an emergency event.

What is standby pay for Pinellas County Government employees?

Per Personnel Rule 3: Compensation, Pinellas County classified (hourly) employees required to work standby are paid 1 hour of additional pay (“standby pay”) at their straight hourly rate for every 8 hours of the standby assignment within a scheduled shift.

What are the minimum and maximum hours for standby pay?

  • A minimum of 1 hour of standby pay will be awarded per scheduled 24-hour shift.
  • A maximum of 3 hours of standby pay will be awarded per scheduled 24-hour shift.

What happens if an employee is called to come into work while on standby?

If the employee is called to report for work, standby pay is no longer active and the employee will be paid for time worked. Standby pay accumulation will reactivate if the employee returns to standby within the same scheduled shift.

Does travel time count if an employee is called to physically report to work?

Yes. The employee’s hours worked for the week (or the pay period for classified/excluded employees) shall include travel time from home to the work location and back home from the work location and all hours worked on the assignment.

What if an employee is called multiple times to physically report to work while on standby?

A minimum of 2 hours shall be counted as hours worked for the first instance requiring the employee to physically report to a work location in an 8-hour standby period. No minimum number of hours worked shall be counted for subsequent standby call outs during the same standby period.

What if an employee works 20 hours of a 24-hour standby shift?

A minimum of 1 hour of standby pay will be awarded per scheduled 24-hour shift. If the employee is on standby for 4 hours and worked the other 20 hours, they would be paid 1 hour of standby and 20 hours of regular pay or overtime as appropriate under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

What if an employee works 2 hours and then returns to a standby shift?

Standby pay accumulation will reactivate if the employee returns to standby within the same scheduled shift. Standby pay is not hours worked.

What if an employee is able to complete the standby assignment remotely?

If an employee can complete the assignment without physically reporting to the work location, the employee’s hours worked for the week (or the pay period for classified/excluded employees) shall include all hours worked on the assignment.

A minimum of 1 hour shall be counted as hours worked for the first instance of working remotely in an 8-hour standby period. No minimum number of hours worked shall be counted for subsequent call outs during the same standby period.

Does standby pay continue when an employee is called into work?

No.

Clock faces, calendars and diary

Standby Pay Examples

Example 1

  • Margie is scheduled for a 24-hour standby shift.
  • She works 10 hours and is on standby for 14 of those hours.
  • She will get 1.75 hours of standby pay:
    • 1 hour for the first 8 hours of standby
    • .75 for the remaining 6 hours on standby

Example 2

  • Diego is scheduled for an 8-hour standby shift.
  • He is called to work 4 hours and is only on standby for 4 hours.
  • He is paid for 4 hours of work and .50 hours of standby.

Diego was not scheduled a 24-hour standby shift and therefore does not qualify for the minimum 1 hour of standby.

Example 3

  • Bart is scheduled for a 14-hour standby shift.
  • He is called to physically work for a total of 1.5 hours.
  • He worked 1.5 hours and was on standby for 12.5 hours of the scheduled shift.
  • He will get 2 hours of regular pay for being called out to physically work even though the employee only worked 1.5 hours.
  • He will be paid for 1.56 hours of standby.

Bart qualifies for the minimum of 2 hours to be counted as hours worked for the first instance requiring the employee to physically report to a work location in an 8-hour standby period.

4/16/25