Last verified October 25, 2026 · How we verify
Connecticut break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Connecticut, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Connecticut, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Connecticut requires a 30-minute meal break for 7.5 or more consecutive hours, but no rest breaks. Short breaks your employer gives must be paid under federal law. Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek; there is no daily overtime.
At least 30 minutes for employees who work 7.5 consecutive hours or more, taken after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours. Exceptions apply (Conn. Gen. Stat. 31-51ii).
“½ hour at some time after first 2 hours and before last 2 hours for employees who work 7½ consecutive hours or more.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. DOL, Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (table last revised January 1, 2023) (the state statute could not be checked directly; verify before relying on it)
No state law requires rest breaks for adult private-sector employees (not listed in the U.S. DOL state table). Rules for minors may differ.
“States not listed do not require paid rest periods.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: U.S. DOL, Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (table last revised January 1, 2023)
Overtime is 1.5 times your regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. There is no daily, weekend or holiday overtime unless agreed. Restaurant and hotel workers get time and a half for the seventh consecutive day.
“No requirement to pay overtime on a daily basis, weekends, or holidays except by agreement.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Connecticut DOL, Wage and Hour - Minimum Wage/Overtime
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 | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-hour shift, no break | Not required for this shift | Not required by Connecticut law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (7.5 or more hours) | Not required by Connecticut law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (7.5 or more hours) | Not required by Connecticut law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (7.5 or more hours) | Not required by Connecticut law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
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 Connecticut have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Connecticut and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Connecticut is not among the 33 states that the U.S. Department of Labor lists as having a separate meal-break rule for minors.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Connecticut) | 8-40 during periods of school vacation of 5 days or more | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. July 1 to the first Monday in September) to 7 a.m. |
| 16 and 17 (Connecticut) | Enrolled in and not graduated from a secondary institution. 8-48-6, non-school days/weeks. 6-32 school day/week, in restaurant, recreational, amusement, theater, manufacturing, mechanical, retail, hairdressing, bowling alley, pool hall, or photography gallery establishments. Not enrolled in and not graduated from a secondary institution. 8-48-6 in retail/mercantile establishments. 9-48-6 in restaurant, manufacturing, mechanical, recreation, amusement and theater establishments | 11 p.m. (midnight if school vacation, not prior to a school day, or not attending school) to 6 a.m. in restaurants, recreational, amusement and theater establishments. 10 p.m. (11 p.m. if school vacation, not prior to a school day, or not attending school; midnight in a supermarket of 3,500 square feet or more when no school the next day) to 6 a.m. in manufacturing, mechanical and retail establishments. 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. in hairdressing, bowling alley, pool hall, or photography gallery establishments. |
| 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 Connecticut law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. File a Statement of Claim for Wages with the CT DOL Wage and Workplace Standards Division, online or on paper. Investigations cover only the two years before you file. 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.
With each paycheck you must get a written record (or electronic, if you agree) of hours worked, gross earnings with straight time and overtime shown separately, itemized deductions, and net earnings. Source ↗ Verified October 25, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Connecticut's minimum wage of $16.94 an hour, rising to $17.48 on January 1, 2027. Connecticut minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Connecticut's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | A 30-minute meal break for 7.5 or more consecutive hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Massachusetts | A 30-minute meal break for more than 6 hours of work | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| New York | A 30-minute lunch for shifts over 6 hours that cover 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Rhode Island | A 20-minute meal break in a 6-hour shift and 30 minutes in an 8-hour shift | None required | 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 25, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.