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Fitness Studios & Gyms: Managing Part-Time Worker Payroll (2026)
Part-time payroll in fitness businesses carries the same withholding and overtime rules as full-time, and part-time hours count toward the ACA employer mandate at 120 hours a month per full-time equivalent. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
Rules that matter for part-time fitness business staff
Instructors paid per class or per session are non-exempt unless an exemption applies, and their overtime must be computed on the average hourly rate found by dividing total pay for the workweek by total hours actually worked, including time outside the class. Where one employee works at two or more rates in a week, the regular rate is the weighted average.
A commissioned trainer can be exempt from overtime under FLSA section 7(i) only if three conditions are met: the employer is a retail or service establishment, the employee's regular rate exceeds one and one-half times the minimum wage for every hour worked in any week with overtime, and more than half of total earnings in a representative period of one month to one year are commissions. If any condition fails, overtime is due at time and one-half for hours over 40.
The arithmetic
Overtime is owed after 40 hours in the workweek regardless of part-time status, and a part-time employee who picks up shifts across two roles has their regular rate blended across both. For the ACA, monthly hours of all non-full-time employees are pooled and divided by 120 to produce full-time equivalents; 60 part-time employees at 60 hours a month are 30 FTEs. For FMLA, a part-time employee counts as one employee toward the 50 threshold and is eligible personally only after 1,250 hours in the prior 12 months. At the BLS May 2025 national median for exercise trainers and group fitness instructors, $47,160 a year or about $23 an hour, a 20-hour week is $453 before tax.
The rules behind this page, with sources
General information, not legal advice. Every rule below was read on the agency page linked next to it.
- Instructors paid per class or per session are non-exempt unless an exemption applies, and their overtime must be computed on the average hourly rate found by dividing total pay for the workweek by total hours actually worked, including time outside the class. Where one employee works at two or more rates in a week, the regular rate is the weighted average. [DOL Fact Sheet #23]
- A commissioned trainer can be exempt from overtime under FLSA section 7(i) only if three conditions are met: the employer is a retail or service establishment, the employee's regular rate exceeds one and one-half times the minimum wage for every hour worked in any week with overtime, and more than half of total earnings in a representative period of one month to one year are commissions. If any condition fails, overtime is due at time and one-half for hours over 40. [DOL Fact Sheet #20]
Read the full guide to ACA reporting and the employer mandate, and the rest of the fitness business payroll library.
Managed Payroll, Handled.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do part-time personal trainers at a fitness business count toward the ACA 50-employee test?
Yes, as full-time equivalents: their monthly hours are pooled and divided by 120. That is why the count is run from payroll hours every year rather than from headcount.
Is overtime owed to a part-time fitness business employee?
Yes, after 40 hours in a workweek, at time and one half on the regular rate. Part-time status changes benefits eligibility, not the overtime rule. Instructors paid per class or per session are non-exempt unless an exemption applies, and their overtime must be computed on the average hourly rate found by dividing total pay for the workweek by total hours actually worked, including time outside the class.
What does managed payroll cost for a fitness business?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Trainer 1099 vs W-2 classification, commission-based training pay and class-based instructor pay are configured at setup, not billed as add-ons.
Related Resources
Anthony leads payroll solutions at Business Executive Group, a national managed payroll firm serving businesses across industries including Fitness Studios & Gyms. BEG manages payroll at $45 PEPM, all-inclusive, with deep expertise in compliance, multi-state filing, and industry-specific payroll requirements. Get instant pricing at beghr.com.
Authoritative source: U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Division
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