A class is 50 minutes. The instructor’s paid day is longer. Here is how to record it fairly.
A spin instructor teaches a 6:00 a.m. class. Arrival at 5:15 for bike setup and music, class at 6:00 to 6:50, then wiping equipment and talking to members until 7:20. That is two hours and five minutes of work for a class priced as 50 minutes. If the studio pays per class only, an hourly employee’s pay can fall below the legal minimum when all the time is counted. If the person is correctly an independent contractor, the model is different, but the label matters less than the facts of the relationship.
| Block | Minutes | Counts as work |
|---|---|---|
| Setup | 45 | Yes |
| Class | 50 | Yes |
| Member questions after class | 30 | Yes |
| Gap before next class, free to leave | 90 | Usually no |
| Second class and cleanup | 95 | Yes |
Many studios call their trainers contractors. The deciding questions are about control and independence: who sets the schedule, the pricing and the method, whether the trainer can work for competitors, and who owns the client relationship. A trainer who must teach the studio’s own format on the studio’s schedule at the studio’s price looks like an employee in many states. Get advice for your state before relying on a label.
A person may be paid $45 a class, $20 an hour at the front desk and a commission on package sales. Federal rules require the overtime calculation to consider all of it when the person is an employee. Record what job each hour belonged to so payroll can price it correctly, and avoid putting everything in one bucket called hours.
Instructors often work at two or three studios. Hours at separate, unrelated businesses are not added together. If your locations share ownership and management, hours may be combined, so a person teaching at two of your studios needs one weekly total.
A per-class rate looks generous until you count the hours around the class: arriving early to set up, checking members in, cleaning equipment, answering questions and the required staff meeting. For employees, the week’s pay divided by all hours worked has to meet the minimum wage that applies where they work.
| Item | Hours | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| 6 classes at $32 each | 6.0 | $192 |
| Setup, check-in and cleanup, 25 minutes per class | 2.5 | Included |
| Monthly staff meeting, this week | 1.5 | Included |
| Choreography prep the studio requires | 2.0 | Included |
| Total | 12.0 | $192 |
| Effective hourly rate | $16.00 |
At $16 an hour, this instructor is above the federal minimum but below the minimum wage in some states and cities. Either raise the per-class rate, pay a separate hourly rate for non-class time, or cut the time the studio requires outside class.
Studios often treat instructors as independent contractors. Under the federal economic reality test, a worker who teaches on the studio’s schedule, uses its formats and its space, and depends on it for income looks more like an employee. Several states use a stricter ABC test. California’s AB 5 law and Massachusetts both use one, which presumes a worker is an employee unless the business proves all three parts, including that the work is outside the usual course of its business. Teaching classes at a fitness studio is hard to call outside the business.
Read independent contractor vs employee before you set up pay for a new location.
| Period | What happens | Schedule move |
|---|---|---|
| January | Sign-ups and attendance jump with New Year goals | Add classes at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.; hold off on staff vacations |
| Spring | Steady, with a pre-summer rise | Introduce new formats |
| Summer | Attendance dips as people travel | Trim midday classes; offer outdoor sessions |
| September | Back-to-routine rise | Rebuild the full timetable |
Personal trainers often earn a session rate plus a commission on packages they sell. Both count for minimum wage and both go into the regular rate when the trainer works over 40 hours in a week. A bonus for hitting a monthly sales target counts too.
No-shows are the hidden cost. If a trainer must wait at the studio for a client who does not arrive, that time is work time for an employee, even though no session rate is earned. Set a rule, such as a 15-minute grace period and a paid hourly rate for floor time, so the trainer is never working for nothing.
If they are employees, yes. Record the session plus any preparation or follow-up you require.
If the instructor is expected to stay and speak with members, that is working time.
Only if the result still meets minimum wage and overtime rules for every hour worked. Run the numbers on a typical week.
Yes, for employees. Training the studio requires, including learning its class formats, is work time. Time spent on a certification an employee chooses to pursue on their own is generally not.
It is a stricter test for contractor status used in states such as California and Massachusetts. The business must show the worker is free from its control, does work outside its usual course of business and has an independent business of their own.
For employees, a flat fee is fine only if it covers at least the minimum wage for every hour, and any hours over 40 in the week need overtime.
Weekly overtime math
Convert pay between formats
Wages as a share of revenue
Book a demo and we will rebuild one instructor’s week to show hours against class-rate pay.
This page is general information, not legal, payroll or tax advice. Rules differ by state, city and contract, and they change. Check with a qualified professional before you act. Numbers in examples are made up.