Under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a full-time employee is someone who works an average of at least 30 hours per week, or 130 hours per month.
This definition is used to determine:
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Whether an employer is considered an Applicable Large Employer (ALE)
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Which employees must be offered affordable, minimum value coverage to avoid employer mandate penalties
🔁 Hourly vs. Salaried:
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For hourly employees, employers track actual hours worked
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For salaried employees, employers may use reasonable equivalency methods (like 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week)
🧠 Important Note:
This definition is stricter than many employers’ internal definitions of full-time. An employee may not qualify for company benefits at 30 hours, but they do count under the ACA rules.