Last verified October 26, 2026 · How we verify
Washington break laws
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Washington, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Meal and rest break rules for adult hourly workers in Washington, what federal law adds, teen work limits and overtime. Check your own shift below.
Washington requires a 30-minute meal break, with no more than 5 hours of work without one, plus a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours. Overtime is due after 40 hours in a workweek; there is no daily overtime.
A meal period of at least 30 minutes starting 2 to 5 hours into the shift; no more than 5 consecutive hours without one. Paid if the employee must stay on duty on the premises.
“No employee shall be required to work more than five consecutive hours without a meal period.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Washington Administrative Code 296-126-092
A paid 10-minute rest period for each 4 hours of work, near the middle of the period; no more than 3 hours without a rest period.
“Employees shall be allowed a rest period of not less than ten minutes, on the employer's time, for each four hours of working time.”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Washington Administrative Code 296-126-092
Agricultural workers are covered by a separate regulation: a 30-minute meal period after 5 hours, another 30 minutes for 11 or more hours in a day, and a paid 10-minute rest period in each 4 hours. U.S. DOL ↗
Most workers must get at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a 7-day workweek. Washington does not require overtime just for working more than 8 hours in one day.
“Washington law does not require overtime for hours worked over 8 hours in a day”
Verified October 26, 2026 · Source: Washington L&I, 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 (more than 5 hours) | 1 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 8-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (more than 5 hours) | 2 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 10-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (more than 5 hours) | 3 × 10 min, paid | Counted by the week: hours over 40 in the workweek |
| 12-hour shift, 30-min lunch | 30 min (more than 5 hours) | 3 × 10 min, paid | 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 Washington have limits on how long and how late they can work. Where the Washington and federal limits differ, the stricter one applies. Washington 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 Washington labor department for its details.
| Age | Hour limits | Can't work between |
|---|---|---|
| Under 16 (Washington) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 40 a week, 6 days a week 3 (8 Saturday and Sunday) School days and weeks: up to 16 hours a day and 6 a week | 7 p.m. (9 p.m. from June 1st to Labor Day) to 7 a.m. An adult must supervise minors working after 8 p.m. in service occupations, such as restaurants and retail businesses. |
| 16 and 17 (Washington) | Non-school days and weeks: up to 8 hours a day and 48 a week, 6 days a week School days and weeks: up to 4 hours a day and 20 a week, 6 days a week | 10 p.m. Sunday - Thursday (midnight Friday and Saturday and when school is not in session) to 7 a.m. (5 a.m. when school is not in session). 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. in door-to-door sales. An adult must supervise minors working after 8 p.m. in service occupations, such as restaurants and retail businesses. |
| 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 Washington law requires, or not paid for time you worked, you can complain to the state. If you are not paid all wages owed, file a Worker Rights Complaint with Washington L&I online, by mail or at an L&I office. You have three years from when the violation occurred. 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.
Every payday you must get an itemized pay statement showing your pay basis (such as hours worked), rate of pay, gross wages, all deductions, and the pay period dates. It can be electronic if you can access and copy it on payday. Source ↗ Verified October 26, 2026
Paid break time counts as hours worked, at no less than Washington's minimum wage of $17.13 an hour, higher in some cities, rising to $17.73 on January 1, 2027. Washington minimum wage details ↗ Keep your own record to compare: the time card calculator totals your week with Washington's rules and saves a PDF.
| State | Meal break | Rest breaks | Overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | A 30-minute meal break, with no more than 5 hours of work without one | A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours | Weekly, 40 h |
| Idaho | None required | None required | Weekly, 40 h |
| 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.