Last verified October 26, 2026 · How we verify
California break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in California, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in California, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over 5 hours, and a second one over 10 hours, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours. Overtime starts after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, with double time after 12 hours in a day.
A meal period of at least 30 minutes for work periods over 5 hours (can be waived by mutual consent if the day is no more than 6 hours). A second 30-minute meal period for more than 10 hours.
“an employer may not employ an employee for a work period of more than five hours per day without providing the employee with a meal period of not less than thirty minutes”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: California DIR, Meal periods FAQ
A paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours worked or major fraction (more than 2 hours). Not required if the day's work is under 3.5 hours.
“must be at the minimum rate of a net ten consecutive minutes for each four hour work period, or major fraction thereof”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: California DIR, Rest periods FAQ
Non-exempt workers get 1.5 times pay for hours over 8 in a day, over 40 in a week, and the first 8 hours on a seventh straight workday. Double pay applies after 12 hours in a day and after 8 on the seventh day. Seventh-day rules are explained here but not calculated by the checker. For a full week with daily overtime and double time, use the California overtime calculator.
“Double the employee's regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 12 hours in any workday”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: California DIR, Overtime FAQ
Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. Short breaks (about 5 to 20 minutes) that an employer gives count as paid work time; meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty. More on the federal rules.
Nursing employees also have a federal right to reasonable unpaid break time and a private place, not a bathroom, to pump breast milk for one year after the birth. What the federal pump-break rule covers.
How the rules above apply to four typical shifts. Hours worked exclude the unpaid lunch.
| Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks | Daily overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-hour shift, no break | 30 min (shift over 5 hours; can be waived by mutual consent when the day is 6 hours or less) | 1 × 10 min, paid | None (under 8 hours) |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (shift over 5 hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | None (under 8 hours) |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (shift over 5 hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | 2h at 1.5× |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (shift over 5 hours); 30 min (second meal period for more than 10 hours; can be waived if the first was not) | 3 × 10 min, paid | 4h at 1.5× |
Rules for adult, non-exempt private-sector workers. Industry orders, union contracts, local laws and exemptions can change the answer. General reference, not legal advice.
Teen workers in California have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the California and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. California is also one of 33 states with a separate meal-break rule for minors; when a teen is covered by both the adult and the minor rule, the employer must follow the higher standard (U.S. DOL). Ask the California labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (California) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (California) | 8-48 non-school day/-week: 3-18 school day/week | 10 p.m. (12:30 a.m. before non-school day) to 5 a.m. |
| Under 16 (federal) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 3 hours a day and 18 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. June 1 through Labor Day) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (federal) | No hour limits | No night limits |
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Selected State Child Labor Standards Affecting Minors Under 18 in Non-farm Employment, as of July 15, 2025. School-day limits usually apply only to students. In the DOL's shorthand, “8-40” means 8 hours a day and 40 a week; a third number is days a week.
If you are denied breaks that California law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. File a wage claim with the Labor Commissioner's Office online, by email, by mail or in person. Deadlines are three years for minimum wage and overtime violations and four years for a written contract. Official page ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
You can also call the federal Wage and Hour Division free at 1-866-487-9243. Firing or punishing you for a wage complaint is illegal.
Each payday you must get an itemized statement showing gross wages, total hours worked, all deductions, net wages, pay period dates, your name and last four digits of your Social Security number, the employer's name and address, and all hourly rates. Source ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than California's minimum wage of $16.90 an hour, higher in some cities and counties, rising to $17.40 on January 1, 2027. California minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with California's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | A 30-minute unpaid meal break for shifts over 5 hours, and a second one over 10 hours | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| Arizona | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Nevada | A 30-minute meal break for 8 continuous hours of work | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Daily + weekly |
| Oregon | A 30-minute unpaid meal break for 6 or more hours | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
See all 50 states and DC.
Every rule on this page was checked against the official source below; the quotes are verbatim and were found in the source on the date shown next to each rule. This page was last verified on October 26, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.