Are you paid for required early clock in and clock out?

[NurseKole]

My employer requires staff to clock in between 6:38-6:52 and we cant clock out until 7:08 but we aren't paid for the extra time. And if I clock in even a minute late (6:53) I am docked .15. I assumed that maybe my company was paying in 15minute increments so I stayed till 16 minutes after on a day when I clocked in at 6:59 but my pay was still docked .15 Is this legal? 

[chare]

klone said:

On the other hand, if they start at 0652, they are being paid for an extra 7 minutes that they didn't work (because at 0652, it rounds back to 0645). ...

[...]

And with a 1908 clock out, with it being rounded to 1915, he or she will be paid 12 hours and actually worked only 11 hours and 45 minutes.

[Robmoo, ADN, BSN, RN]

I gather that you just want to vent and that is why you are asking here.  Employment law varies from state to state.  If you think that you have a legit complaint, then go to the body that governs workplace issues in your state.  If you think that they have violated Federal regulations, then file a complaint there.  

[chare]

Robmoo said:

I gather that you just want to vent and that is why you are asking here.  Employment law varies from state to state.  If you think that you have a legit complaint, then go to the body that governs workplace issues in your state.  If you think that they have violated Federal regulations, then file a complaint there.  

The OP's employer, based on what he or she has written, has violated neither state nor federal statute.  Her or his employer is rounding clock in/out times to the nearest quarter hour, which is legal; and a practice in use by my current and previous employer.

[mdsRN2005, ASN, BSN, RN]

Do you get a paid 30min lunch break?  If so, then your 7-7 shift is 12 hrs worked plus 30min not worked (but paid). To keep you from coming in at 6:30 to accommodate the lunch break they split it in half.  So your shift really is 6:45-7:15.  By letting you clock in until 6:52 they are giving you a 7 minute grace period before they count it as a tardy. 

[klone, MSN, RN]

I doubt their lunch break is paid. I've never heard of a place (other than my wife's employer, literally the only one I've heard of) that pays their hourly employees' lunch breaks. Normally, a shift is 12.5 hours, and you're paid for 12. That is what the OP is describing above (0645-1915).