Can a required classroom-supply purchase affect wages under federal law?

Under 29 CFR 531.35, if an employer requires an employee to provide tools of the trade for the employer’s work, the cost can violate the federal wage rule in a workweek when it cuts into the minimum or overtime wages required by the Fair Labor Standards Act. [1]

That regulation does not decide whether a particular classroom-supply purchase is a tool of the trade or establish a general reimbursement right for every required purchase. [1]

Coverage, exemptions, pay, hours, and the expense itself require facts; this narrow federal rule does not address state or local rules, an employer policy, a contract, or a collective-bargaining agreement.