Last verified October 26, 2026 · How we verify
Tennessee break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Tennessee, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Tennessee, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Tennessee requires a 30-minute meal break for 6 consecutive scheduled 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, the federal rule; there is no daily overtime.
A 30-minute unpaid meal or rest period if scheduled 6 consecutive hours, except where the work gives ample opportunity to rest or take a break.
“must be provided a thirty (30) minute unpaid meal or rest period if scheduled six (6) consecutive hours”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, breaks FAQ
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)
Tennessee has no state overtime law. Overtime is governed by federal law, and questions go to the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
“There are no state laws regulating overtime pay.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development, Should I be paid 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 | 30 min (6 or more hours) | Not required by Tennessee law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | Not required by Tennessee law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | Not required by Tennessee law | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (6 or more hours) | Not required by Tennessee 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 Tennessee have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Tennessee and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Tennessee 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 (Tennessee) | 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. to 7 a.m. (9 p.m. to 6 a.m. before non-school days) |
| 16 and 17 (Tennessee) | No state limit listed | 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. (Sunday - Thursday before school days) (midnight with parental permission up to 3 nights a week) |
| 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 you are denied breaks that Tennessee law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. Unpaid wage complaints go to the Labor Standards Unit of the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. For a missing final paycheck, wait until 21 days after separation before filing. Federal minimum wage or overtime issues go to the US Department of Labor. 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.
Federal law does not require pay stubs, but your employer must keep accurate records of your hours and pay. Ask Tennessee's labor department whether a state pay stub rule applies to your job. Source ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Tennessee's minimum wage of $7.25 an hour (the federal minimum). Tennessee minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Tennessee's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee | A 30-minute meal break for 6 consecutive scheduled hours | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Alabama | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Arkansas | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Georgia | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Kentucky | A reasonable lunch period, starting between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift | A paid 10-minute rest break in each 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Mississippi | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Missouri | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| North Carolina | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| Virginia | None required | 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 26, 2026, the oldest of those dates. How we verify.