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Run the Payroll Fee Auditor →Blog · Payroll Management · Veterinary
Veterinary Practices: Hourly vs. Salaried Employee Payroll (2026)
Hourly versus salaried in a veterinary practice is not a preference, it is the exemption test: a salary of at least $684 a week plus a duties test, and veterinary practices have industry-specific exemptions on top. Veterinary technologists and technicians at the national median earn $911 a week. BEG: $45 per employee per month inside the payroll software you already use, live in 3 to 5 days.
Who in a veterinary practice can be salaried and exempt
To be an exempt learned professional, an employee must be paid on a salary or fee basis at not less than the standard salary level and have a primary duty of work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, which the fact sheet lists as including medicine and the biological sciences. Job titles do not determine exemption status.
The learned professional exemption is not available to occupations where most workers gain their skill through experience rather than advanced specialized instruction; the regulation notes that licensed practical nurses and similar health care employees generally do not qualify because a specialized advanced academic degree is not a standard prerequisite for entry.
The salary math for veterinary practices
The standard salary level is $684 a week, $35,568 a year. BLS puts the May 2025 national median for veterinary technologists and technicians at $47,380, which is $911 a week, above the floor, so for that role the duties test is the whole question. Paying a salary to a non-exempt employee is legal; it just does not remove overtime, which is then computed on the salary divided by hours actually worked each week.
What changes when a role moves between the two
Moving DVMs and veterinary technicians from hourly to salaried changes the pay code, the timekeeping rule and the overtime treatment at once. A salaried non-exempt employee still needs hours recorded every week, and a salaried exempt one needs the exemption documented against the rule above, because in an audit the burden of proving the exemption sits with the employer.
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.
- To be an exempt learned professional, an employee must be paid on a salary or fee basis at not less than the standard salary level and have a primary duty of work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, which the fact sheet lists as including medicine and the biological sciences. Job titles do not determine exemption status. [DOL Fact Sheet #17D]
- The learned professional exemption is not available to occupations where most workers gain their skill through experience rather than advanced specialized instruction; the regulation notes that licensed practical nurses and similar health care employees generally do not qualify because a specialized advanced academic degree is not a standard prerequisite for entry. [29 CFR 541.301]
Read the full guide to FLSA overtime rules for employers, and the rest of the veterinary practice payroll library.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can a veterinary practice pay DVMs a salary and skip overtime?
Only if the role meets an exemption: the $684 weekly salary floor plus the duties test, or an industry-specific exemption. To be an exempt learned professional, an employee must be paid on a salary or fee basis at not less than the standard salary level and have a primary duty of work requiring advanced knowledge in a field of science or learning, which the fact sheet lists as including medicine and the biological sciences.
Does the $47,380 national median for veterinary technologists and technicians clear the salary test?
$911 a week is above the $684 floor, so salary is not the obstacle; the duties test is. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
What does managed payroll cost for a veterinary practice?
$45 per employee per month, all-inclusive, inside the payroll software you already use, with no monthly minimum. Production-based DVM comp, vet tech certification pay tiers and multi-location group payroll 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 Veterinary Practices. 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: Overtime Pay Under the FLSA
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