Map the pay system before you judge the result.

A disciplined wage-and-hour review separates the work, the pay rule, the legal test, the records, and the consequence.

Open the analysis map Start with a dealership role

Role × issue crosswalk

The same label does not produce the same analysis.

Choose a role to isolate one row, or compare all five. Every cell names a question—not a conclusion.

Dealership role	Time question	Pay method	Coverage route	Proof packet
Techniciantechnician	Clock vs. flagWaiting, training, cleanup, rests, and repair activity occupy different time categories.primary	Piece / flat rateThe production unit and every nonproduction category must be classified before measurement.primary	Two legal lanesFederal mechanic overtime treatment does not decide California pay, break, or record rules.primary	RO + time + payRepair orders, flag ledgers, timecards, and statements must cover the same dates.primary
Salessales	Floor and follow-upOpening, demos, delivery, remote contact, and required meetings may extend beyond deal events.possible	Commission + drawEarning conditions, guarantees, packs, bonuses, and debits require transaction-level tracing.primary	Commission testsCalifornia and federal commissioned-employee exemptions use different periods and thresholds.possible	Plan + deal + statementSigned plan versions, deal jackets, funding events, draw ledgers, and statements answer different questions.primary
Service advisoradvisor	Lane and follow-upOpening, closing, dispatch, customer calls, and break coverage remain time questions.primary	Sales-based mixLabor, parts, CSI, service-contract, salary, and bonus components may follow different rules.possible	Encino is federalThe federal service-advisor route does not decide California overtime or related obligations.exception sensitive	RO + schedule + payRepair orders, lane schedules, customer contacts, time records, and payroll require alignment.primary
F&IFinance & insurance	Back-end work timeDeal completion, funding follow-up, cancellations, and opening/closing work can cross recorded shifts.possible	Commission + salaryProduct compensation, draws, chargebacks, and guarantees require separate classification.primary	Several routesSection 7(i), white-collar rules, and California tests must each satisfy their own predicates.exception sensitive	Deal + plan + periodDeal detail, signed plan, representative period, salary guarantee, and time records are all material.primary
Parts & supportsupport	Role-specific timeCounter, shuttle, lot, BDC, detail, office, and vendor work cannot share one time assumption.exception sensitive	Hourly or incentiveUnit, appointment, production, bonus, and ordinary hourly methods need separate classification.possible	Duties and entityPartsman, employee/contractor, joint-employer, and ordinary nonexempt routes depend on different facts.exception sensitive	Entity + duty + timeVendor contracts, actual control, schedules, system activity, pay, and expenses must be kept distinct.primary

Choose the side of the counter

Two paths. One set of pay records.

The questions change by role. The underlying evidence usually does not.

01 · Dealer control path

Stress-test the operating system.

Assign an owner to the fact set, pay classification, calculation, legal route, matched record packet, and correction decision.

02 · Worker record path

Reconstruct one matched period.

Separate what happened, what each record shows, what contradicts it, and which question remains unresolved.

Open law library

The collision points.

Move from the pay system to the wage-and-hour issue without losing the dealership context.

01The dealership exemptionsRoute federal dealership, federal retail-commission, white-collar, and California tests without importing one into another.02Minimum wage under incentive paySelect the applicable floor and period, then test each pay method without impermissible cross-period or cross-category borrowing.03The regular rateClassify remuneration, select the allocation period and divisor, and keep federal and California methods in their proper lanes.04Rest periods & nonproductive timeDistinguish paid rest periods, other nonproductive time, hourly-base methods, production units, and statement lines under section 226.2.05Meal & rest breaksSeparate provision, recording, authorization, control, and premium-rate questions for meals and rests.06Off-the-clock workReconcile controlled or known work, point-event evidence, rounding, opening and closing activity, and the limits of inference.07Chargebacks, packs & drawsSeparate classification, earning conditions, payment timing, advances, transaction-specific reversals, and wage deductions.08Tools, uniforms & reimbursementTest wage-order selection, required-item category, hand-tool threshold, apprenticeship facts, and necessary-expense reimbursement.

Developments

What moved.

View the release log

2026-07-18

Analytical architecture

Facts → Classify → Measure → Test → Verify → Act

Every role map, issue guide, evidence register, authority record, and instrument now uses the same six-stage reasoning sequence.

2026-07-18

Authority and editorial release

Thirteen guides rebuilt around questions, proof, and limits

Each guide now includes rule architecture, a decision sequence, evidence boundaries, a worked example, strategic implications, analysis limits, and proposition-matched primary authority.

2026-07-18

Source infrastructure

A 55-record authority register with inferential limits

Every authority entry states the proposition it supports, what it does not decide, its official link, check date, and any current status note.

2026-07-18

Instrument release

Three tested browser-local working papers

The Pay System Analyzer, Wage Scenario Lab, and Commission Ledger expose inputs, formulas, independent predicates, record pulls, and interpretation boundaries without retaining entries.

2026-07-18

Threshold review

2026 California and current federal constants re-verified

The statewide floor and formula-derived commission, hand-tool, and salary figures—plus current federal salary and section 7(i) thresholds—are stored with effective dates, formulas, sources, and limits.