What is a piecework employee?
Michael Gray
Updated on March 24, 2026
When employers decide they want to pay workers by piece rate (also known as piecework), they’re referring to pay based on number of units or pieces created rather than the number of hours worked. In other words, the more “pieces” an employee produces, the more the employee is paid.
Is piece work illegal?
The purpose of this method of compensation, which is perfectly legal if properly executed and documented, is to motivate employees to heighten their productivity beyond what a mere hourly wage would yield. Piece work is well-suited to industries such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, etc.
What is a piece rate worker paid?
Piece rate pay occurs when workers are paid by the unit performed (e.g. the number of tee shirts or bricks produced) instead of being paid on the basis of time spent on the job. Home based workers and other out-workers (who work in premises other than that of the employer) are also frequently paid piece rates.
How do you pay employees a piece of work?
This is as simple as dividing the employee’s piece rate compensation by the total number of hours worked. For example, an employee might make $480 over the course of a 40 hour workweek. That comes out to $12 per hour—well above the minimum wage requirements in most communities.
Are piece workers employees?
Piecework, or piece work pay, is paying an employee a fixed pay rate for each unit they produce. Piece rate pay is most common for a contractor employee. However, employees who are not contractors can be paid piecework pay, too.
Can I pay employees per job?
A. No, the law does not apply to employees who are compensated on a commission basis. By its terms, Labor Code section 226.2 applies only to “employees who are compensated on a piece-rate basis for any work performed during a pay period.”
How do piece workers get paid?
Piecework, or piece work pay, is paying an employee a fixed pay rate for each unit they produce. Piece rate pay is most common for a contractor employee. However, employees who are not contractors can be paid piecework pay, too. Piecework rates typically depend on the job and product produced.
How do you calculate piece work?
The regular rate of pay for an employee paid on a piecework basis is obtained by dividing the total earnings by the total number of hours worked. The employee is entitled to an additional one-half times this regular rate for each hour of overtime, plus the full piecework earnings.
Which is the best definition of piece work?
Piece work (or piecework) is any type of employment in which a worker is paid a fixed piece rate for each unit produced or action performed regardless of time. When paying a worker, employers can use various methods and combinations of methods.
What is a per-piece pay rate or piecework?
What Is a Per-Piece Pay Rate or Piecework? In per-piece pay structures, payment is based on the number of “pieces” of work that a worker completes. The worker is paid a monetary rate of a certain number of cents or dollars for each piece of work. What constitutes a “piece” worthy of the set rate is defined in advance.
What kind of jobs can you do with piecework?
With the advent of the Internet, piecework is now applied to online jobs with non-tangible work outputs. Working from home, people can now do piecework in such fields as data entry, translation, writing, editing, and call centers.
How is piecework used in the modern economy?
In today’s economy, it is still used this way, especially in developing nations. With the advent of the Internet, piecework is now applied to online jobs with non-tangible work outputs. Working from home, people can now do piecework in such fields as data entry, translation, writing, editing, and call centers.