Hours submitted in the wrong week — why overtime can’t be waived, and how we fix it

Last updated: August 25, 2026

Applies to: Staffing Partners and clients whose workers are paid hourly on a weekly workweek. Salaried international (EOR) assignments do not accrue overtime this way, so this does not apply to them.

Summary: If a worker's hours were left off one week and submitted in a later week, the later week can tip over 40 hours and generate overtime. We cannot simply switch the overtime off — overtime is owed on hours worked over 40 in a workweek. The fix is to move the hours back to the week they were actually worked, which removes the overtime from both pay and billing.

Why overtime cannot be waived

Overtime is based on the hours worked in each workweek. If more than 40 hours are recorded in a single workweek, overtime is payable on the hours above 40 — that is a legal obligation on the employer of record, not a platform setting or a billing preference. Approval from the hiring manager, or agreement between the agency and the client that "this is not really overtime", does not change it. Neither Ascen nor the client can consent out of it.

For how overtime is calculated, see How US employee overtime and double-time pay work. Thresholds can also vary by the worker's work location, so a week under 40 hours can still attract overtime in some states.

The fix: move the hours to the correct week

Where hours were genuinely worked in an earlier week and reported late, we reallocate them to the dates they were worked. Once the hours sit in the right workweek:

  • neither week exceeds 40 hours, so no overtime is payable (unless required by other state/province rules);

  • the worker is paid at the standard rate for all of the hours;

  • the client is not billed at an overtime rate.

What we need from you

Email timesheets@ascen.com with:

  • the worker's name and assignment;

  • how many hours need to move;

  • the exact dates the hours were actually worked — this is the part we cannot infer, and we will come back to you for it if it is missing;

  • the week the hours were incorrectly submitted in.

Give us the specific dates rather than "the previous week". Hours are allocated by date, and the date is what determines the workweek and therefore whether overtime applies.

Getting ahead of it

Late-reported hours are the usual cause, so the cheapest fix is timely submission. Workers on weekly assignments submit by Sunday 11:59 PM ET — see What is the timesheet approval deadline?. If a worker misses a week, have them report the missing hours with the correct dates straight away rather than adding them to the next week's total.

If the hours really were worked in one week

If more than 40 hours were genuinely worked in a single workweek, the overtime stands and will be paid and billed accordingly. Contact your Ascen customer success contact if you need to discuss scheduling to avoid it going forward.