Georgia Break Laws 2026: Lunch, Rest & Overtime

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Meal and rest breaks

Georgia has no state law requiring meal or rest breaks for adult private-sector employees. It is not listed in the U.S. Department of Labor's tables of state meal-period and rest-period laws, which list every state that has one.

“States not listed do not require paid rest periods.”

So only the federal rules apply. 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.

“Rest periods of short duration, running from 5 minutes to about 20 minutes, are common in industry”— 29 CFR 785.18-785.19 (rest and meal periods)

Verified October 26, 2026 · Sources (DOL tables last revised January 1, 2023): U.S. DOL, Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector; U.S. DOL, Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector

Overtime

Georgia has no state overtime law. Federal law applies: 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, enforced by the US Labor Department's Wage and Hour Division.

“enforces regulations related to the Fair Labor Standards Act (minimum wage, overtime pay, hours)”

Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Georgia Department of Labor, Employment Issues

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.

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.

Workers under 18 in Georgia

Teen workers in Georgia have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Georgia and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Georgia 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 (Georgia)	Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week School days and weeks: up to 4 hours a day and 40 a week	9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
16 and 17 (Georgia)	No state limit listed	No state limit listed
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.

If your employer doesn't follow these rules

Because Georgia has no break law, there is no state claim for a missed break itself. But if your employer deducts short breaks (5 to 20 minutes) from your pay, or you work through an unpaid lunch, that is unpaid work time under federal law. The Georgia Department of Labor does not handle unpaid wage claims. Minimum wage and overtime complaints go to the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. 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.

Checking your hours on your pay stub

Georgia has no pay stub law, and federal law does not require one either, though your employer must keep accurate pay records. Source ↗ Verified October 26, 2026

Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Georgia's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (the federal minimum). Georgia minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Georgia's rules and saves a PDF.

How Georgia compares with nearby states

State	Meal break	Rest breaks	Overtime
Georgia	None required	None required	Weekly, 40 h
Alabama	None required	None required	Weekly, 40 h
Florida	None required	None required	Weekly, 40 h
North Carolina	None required	None required	Weekly, 40 h
South Carolina	None required	None required	Weekly, 40 h
Tennessee	A 30-minute meal break for 6 consecutive scheduled hours	None required	Weekly, 40 h

See all 50 states and DC.

Questions, answered

Georgia breaks: common questions.

Not by state law. Georgia does not require meal breaks for adult workers, so it is up to your employer.

None are required by Georgia law; your employer decides. Short breaks it does give must be paid under federal rules.

Under federal rules, which apply in Georgia: short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid, and a meal break of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if you are completely relieved of duty.

Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek, the federal rule; there is no daily overtime. Overtime is paid at 1.5 times your regular rate.

Under Georgia law: non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week; school days and weeks: up to 4 hours a day and 40 a week. Under federal law, which covers most employers: 3 hours on a school day and 18 in a school week; 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 in a non-school week, and only between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day). The stricter rule applies.

Because Georgia has no break law, there is no state claim for a missed break itself. But if your employer deducts short breaks (5 to 20 minutes) from your pay, or you work through an unpaid lunch, that is unpaid work time under federal law. The Georgia Department of Labor does not handle unpaid wage claims. Minimum wage and overtime complaints go to the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division. Verified October 26, 2026

Georgia break laws