District of Columbia · split shift + reporting time · min. wage $18.40 (1 July 2026)
A four-hour gap is a DC split. A thirty-minute meal-out is not.
7 DCMR § 906.1 pays one extra hour at the District minimum wage for each day the hours worked are not consecutive. § 999.2 carves out a meal-out of one hour or less — that is not a split. This is not New York spread-of-hours (first punch to last punch over 10 hours) and not a California 226.7 meal premium (an extra hour at the regular rate). § 907.1 reporting-time sits on a separate line: at least four hours, regular rate for hours worked and minimum wage for the rest, unless regularly scheduled under four.
Two punch pairs so the gap versus the meal is visible (7 DCMR 911.1(h))
Hour-entry tools that take “hours worked” cannot tell a split from a lunch. 7 DCMR 911.1(h) requires a daily record of the hours of beginning and stopping work and the hours of beginning and ending the meal recess if the employee works a split shift — that is why this panel starts with two in/out pairs plus unpaid lunch minutes. Load 7:00–11:00 and 15:00–19:00 at $20: eight hours of wages are $160, the split line is $18.40 (DOES minimum wage as of 1 July 2026), total $178.40. Load 7:00–11:00 and 11:30–15:30: same eight hours, 30-minute meal-out, no split premium.
7:00–11:00 and 15:00–19:00 → 8h worked, 4h gap → split premium $18.40
7:00–11:00 and 11:30–15:30 → 8h worked, 30-min meal-out → no split
2h report @ $20, not scheduled under 4 → $40 + 2h × $18.40 reporting-time
DOES public notice (1 July 2026): minimum wage increases from $17.95 to $18.40. OAG’s wage-and-hour page publishes the same table. The extra hour is at that rate, not at $20. Employees who live on the premises are exempt from the split-shift premium; that exemption is out of scope.
Reporting-time is four hours, two rates
Section 907.1: if you report for work and are given less than four hours, pay hours worked at the regular rate and the remainder of four hours at the minimum wage — unless you are regularly scheduled under four (check the box). A two-hour day at $20 is $40 + $36.80, not four hours at $20 and not a California extra hour.
In scope
- Split premium: 1 hour at DC min. wage ($18.40, 1 July 2026) when punch-pair gaps exceed 1 hour
- Meal-out of 1 hour or less is not a split (7 DCMR 999.2)
- Reporting-time: 4-hour floor, regular rate for hours worked, min. wage for the rest
- Regularly-scheduled-under-4 exception (toggle)
- Punch start/stop and meal recess on split-shift days (7 DCMR 911.1(h))
- FLSA / D.C. Code § 32-1003(c) weekly 40 on hours worked
Out of scope
- New York 12 NYCRR 146-1.6 spread-of-hours
- California Labor Code 226.7 1-hour meal premium
- Live-on-premises split-shift exemption (7 DCMR 906.1)
- Tipped cash-wage / $10.30 tipped minimum
FAQ
What is a DC split shift under 7 DCMR 999.2?
A split shift is a schedule of daily hours in which the hours worked are not consecutive, except that a schedule in which the total time out for meals does not exceed one hour is not a split shift. Two punch pairs 7:00–11:00 and 15:00–19:00 (a 4-hour gap) are a split. 7:00–11:00 and 11:30–15:30 (a 30-minute meal-out) are not.
How much is the DC split-shift premium in 2026?
7 DCMR 906.1: one additional hour at the minimum wage for each day the employee works a split shift. The Department of Employment Services notice effective 1 July 2026 sets that rate at $18.40. It is not paid at the regular rate, is not overtime, is not New York spread-of-hours, and is not a California Labor Code 226.7 meal premium.
What is DC reporting-time pay?
7 DCMR 907.1: the employer pays at least four hours for each day the employee reports for work under instructions but is given no work or less than four hours, unless regularly scheduled for less than four hours. Hours worked are at the regular rate; the remainder of four hours is at the minimum wage.
Is this the same as New York spread-of-hours or a California meal premium?
No. New York hospitality spread-of-hours (12 NYCRR 146-1.6) pays an extra hour when first punch to last punch exceeds 10 hours. California Labor Code 226.7 pays an extra hour at the regular rate for a missed meal. DC split-shift pays an extra hour at the District minimum wage because the hours were not consecutive (and the gap was not a meal of 1 hour or less).
