On-Call & Standby Time

Service techs, maintenance workers, utility crews and equipment operators are often on call or told to stand by. Whether that time is paid depends on how much the employer controls your time, not on what it’s called.

• Workers
• Employers

Engaged to wait vs. waiting to be engaged

On-call away from work

Under federal law, being on call at home or elsewhere is usually not paid time if you can use the time mostly for your own purposes, for example if you just need to carry a phone and stay reachable. It may be paid if the restrictions are so tight that you can’t really use the time for yourself, such as:

• You must answer and respond within a very short time
• You get called so often that you can’t plan anything
• You must stay at or very near the work premises
• You can’t drink, travel or do normal activities because of the rules

Courts look at all the facts, and the answer isn’t always clear.

When you’re called in

• Time spent actually working, including phone troubleshooting and remote logins, is paid.
• Travel from home to an emergency call outside normal hours is often paid time under federal law.
• All of these hours count toward overtime. See Overtime and What Counts as Paid Time.

State and contract rules

• Several states and cities have reporting-time or callback pay rules, guaranteeing a minimum number of paid hours when you’re called in or sent home early. See Show-Up & Reporting-Time Pay.
• Some states treat on-call time more generously than federal law.
• Union contracts often set standby rates, minimum callout hours and rotation rules.

Protect yourself

• Get the on-call rules in writing: response time, location limits, pay
• Log every call, text and callout with start and end times
• Note any restrictions that kept you from personal activities
• Check each paycheck against your log

Last updated: October 2, 2026