Work & Pay · Meal & Rest Breaks
Meal and Rest Break Laws by State
Whether your employer has to give you a meal break, and separately a rest break, for each state. Two different questions, answered honestly, cited to the statute.
Read this first: meal and rest are two questions
There is no single break law. A state can require a meal break, a rest break, both, or neither, so we answer each separately. The starting point is federal: the Fair Labor Standards Act requires no breaks at all. It only says that if an employer gives a short break, it must be paid. Everything beyond that is state law.
A handful of states go further. California requires both a meal and a paid rest break and adds an hour of premium pay for a missed one. New York and Illinois require a meal break but not a rest break. Many states, including several here, require neither for adults, though minors often still get a break. We show a plain not-required rather than inventing a rule that does not exist.
Every state in one table
Meal and rest shown separately, with the authority, in each row.
All states (10)
| State | Meal break | Rest break | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | Required | Required | Cal. Labor Code §512 |
| Florida | Not required | Not required | Fla. Stat. §450.081 |
| Georgia | Not required | Not required | No Georgia meal or rest break statute |
| Illinois | Required | Not required | 820 ILCS 140/3 |
| Michigan | Not required | Not required | Mich. Comp. Laws § 409.112 |
| New York | Required | Not required | N.Y. Labor Law §162 |
| North Carolina | Not required | Not required | N.C.G.S. § 95‑25.5(e) |
| Ohio | Not required | Not required | Ohio Rev. Code §4109.07 |
| Pennsylvania | Not required | Not required | PA Child Labor Act |
| Texas | Not required | Not required | No Texas meal or rest break statute |
What these pages are, and what they aren't
Each state page is a reference for whether a meal or rest break is required and what to do about a missed one. They are deliberately not advice for your job: union contracts and company policy can add rights, so each page links to the statute or labor department. This is legal information, not legal advice.