On January 5, 2018, the Department of Labor did away with its previous six-factor test and announced a new “primary beneficiary” test to determine whether interns and students working for “for-profit” employers are entitled to minimum wages and overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Employers are required to pay employees for their work, but in some circumstances, interns may not actually be employees under the FLSA, and therefore, can be unpaid. The DOL stated that the new test “allows increased flexibility to holistically analyze internships on a case-by-case basis.”

The new “primary beneficiary” test looks at whether the intern or the employer is the primary beneficiary of the relationship. Several circuit courts, including the Second and Ninth, have previously favored the “primary beneficiary” test, viewing it as being more up to date and aligned with the underlying purpose of an unpaid internship.