Check if your shift breaks comply with state labor law. Select your state and shift length to see required meal and rest breaks — plus what happens if you miss them.
California break requirements:
Meal breaks are unpaid — employees clock out. Rest breaks are paid and do not need to be entered here.
Meal Break (unpaid)
30 min required
0 min taken — 30 min short
Rest Break (paid)
20 min required
Paid — employer must provide, not tracked by employee
California penalty exposure
1 extra hour of pay per missed meal break + 1 extra hour per missed rest break — up to 2 extra hours per employee per day. Class action lawsuits under PAGA are common.
Track breaks automatically with CrewPunch
Employees clock out for breaks, creating timestamped compliance documentation.
There is no federal law requiring meal or rest breaks. The FLSA is silent on the topic. However, the majority of states have their own requirements — and the penalties for violations can be severe.
The two main types of breaks are meal breaks (typically 30 minutes, unpaid, employee clocked out) and rest breaks (typically 10 minutes, paid, employee stays on the clock). California, Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Nevada, and Kentucky require both. This checker shows both — meal break compliance is what employees clock out for, while rest breaks are paid and provided by the employer.
In California, a missed meal break costs an extra hour of pay per employee per day, and a missed rest break adds another hour on top — up to 2 extra hours per day. Class action lawsuits under PAGA are a significant risk.
For a complete guide to break laws across all states, common compliance mistakes, and the PUMP Act for nursing mothers, see our Break Time & Labor Law Compliance Guide.
CrewPunch records break start and end times with every shift — no auto-deductions, no guessing. Timestamped documentation for compliance.
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