Overtime Pay
Understanding Overtime Pay as a CP
If you’ve seen posts claiming you don’t get overtime as a CP, that’s coming from people who don’t understand how Disney’s pay structure actually works. The truth? You ARE eligible for overtime pay in multiple situations.
Quick Definition: Overtime means your hourly rate increases to 1.5 times your normal base pay (that’s 150% or “time and a half”).
Overtime is a frequently asked question, especially during busy seasons like the holidays. Disney’s overtime policies can change, so if you ever have specific questions about your paycheck, talk directly with a Coordinator, Trainer or Leader. But here’s what you need to know:
Why is there so much confusion about Overtime?
Walt Disney World has many different roles — many more roles than just the ones assigned to CPs. (Think Bus Drivers, Security, Electricians, Bartenders and more.) Many of those roles are represented by different unions and those unions and Disney have written agreements that cover pay/overtime, work schedules, sick days and lots of other topics. In other words, one Cast Member at Disney in one role might have different rules for overtime than another Cast Member in a different role. But for CPs, the overtime policies are pretty simple.
When You Earn Overtime:
Daily Overtime: You’ll earn overtime pay once you’ve WORKED more than 8 hours in a single day.
Weekly Overtime: Any hours worked beyond 40 in a single PAYROLL WEEK are paid at your overtime rate. Remember, the payroll cycle runs from Sunday through Saturday, so those 40 hours need to fall within that specific week.
Night Differential Pay: CP’s don’t really work the “3rd shift” even though sometimes it can feel like it. But, if more than half your shift is between Midnight and 6AM then you’ll probably get paid a little more than your regular rate for those hours. It could be different for some roles, so ask a Trainer or Coordinator for specifics. IT IS NOT THE SAME AS OVERTIME PAY. Again, most CPs would never be scheduled a shift where more than hald the hours are between Midnight and 6AM but there could be times with a holiday party or special event, or maybe a RunDisney Event where it could happen.
Holiday Pay As an “intern”, you are NOT eligible for holiday pay. This is different from overtime—holiday pay is a separate benefit that doesn’t apply to program participants.
Common Mistakes – Why some think they are not getting the overtime they should get.
- They didn’t actually WORK more than eight hours. If you shift is Noon to 8:30 PM that seems like 8.5 hours and it kind of is. Some will say “I worked 8 1/2 hours and didn’t get any overtime pay. But, there was also a 30-minute unpaid lunch break so technically they only WORKED 8 hours and there wasn’t any overtime pay due.
- “Days in a Row” – A CP might say “I just worked eight days in a row and didn’t get a dime of overtime. That proves that CPs don’t get overtime”. Sorry but they just need to look at the calendar. Maybe they have two days off and really did work 8 days straight but if they worked Wed, Thur, Fri and Saturday and none of the shifts were > 8 work hours and then they worked Sunday, Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday before having a day off, that is a total of eight days but 4 of the days were in one payroll week and the other four were in another payroll week. Sorry, but they never worked more than 40 hours in a payroll week and that is the reason they didn’t get overtime.