Which states require a lunch break?

Meal breaks: Only 20 states require any meal breaks. California, Colorado, New Hampshire, North Dakota and Washington require 1/2 hour within five hours of work. Connecticut and Delaware require ½ hour after first 2 hours and before last 2 hours for employees who work 7½ consecutive hours or more.

Do I legally have to take a lunch break us?

Denying a required meal break is a violation of California labor laws. However, employers are not required to make sure you take your lunch break. Employers are required to provide a meal break but are not required to enforce the employee’s meal break period.

How much break do I get for a 6 hour shift?

Unless your employer has agreed that you should have a longer break, you are entitled to a 20-minute unpaid break if you work for over 6 hours.

Is there a federal law for a lunch break?

Each state has setup is own lunch, meal and break laws and requirements. Some states have not set up break or lunch requirements at all. Some may have specific requirements for minor employees or requirements only under special circumstances. When a state has not implemented a meal/break/lunch law, federal law applies.

How often do you have to take a lunch break in Delaware?

In states that require breaks for adult workers, the rules for minors are sometimes stricter. For example, Delaware requires employers to provide a 30-minute meal break to employees who work at least seven and a half hours; minors are entitled to a 30-minute break once they work five hours.

Where do I find the state by state lunch laws?

This state by state listing of laws was compiled from information directly from the Department Of Labor and is given freely for you to use and distribute at will. If you have concerns of the accuracy of this information please refer directly to the DOL or FSLA websites. Jump To State…

When is a second lunch break not required?

*Does not apply if the workday is only 6 hours or if waived by mutual consent. A second meal period is required after 10 hours but may be waived if work day isn’t longer than 12 hours and first meal period isn’t waived. (For more details, read our guide to California Compliance)

What are the legal requirements for lunch breaks?

Federal law does not require employers to provide any lunch and/or meal breaks to employees. However, when employers choose to provide their employees with lunch and/or meal breaks that are twenty (20) minutes or less, the Fair Labor Standards Act requires that employers pay employees for that time.

Are lunch breaks required by law?

• or break periods for their workers.
• each has different rules pertaining to meal and rest breaks.
• Links to Additional Resources

  What are the rules on lunches and breaks?

  There is a federal rule that says a break has to be at least 20 minutes long to be a paid one. Under federal rules only, employers do not need to give most employees lunch or other types of breaks at all. Lunch and meal breaks are largely a function of state law, which means different states have different rules.

  What is the federal law regarding lunch breaks?

  Although the federal law doesn’t require a lunch break, it does address compensation for time off for meals during the workday. The FLSA says that if an employee is required to be available for work while eating lunch, then the lunch period must be compensable time and cannot be deducted from hours worked.