Minnesota · meal and rest remedies · 1 January 2026
Minnesota’s 2026 missed break is wages plus liquidated damages
As of 1 January 2026, Minn. Stat. § 177.254 requires a 30-minute meal on six or more consecutive hours, and § 177.253 requires a 15-minute rest within each four consecutive hours of work. If the break is not allowed, the employer is liable for that time at the regular rate plus an equal amount as liquidated damages. That is payroll math, not a civil-penalty footnote. It is not a California 226.7 extra hour, and it is not overtime.
The $180 meal check — and the rest assumption sitting next to it
Load eight hours, no lunch, $20. Hours worked are $160. The day is 8 consecutive hours, so a 30-minute meal was required and not allowed: $10 (0.5 × $20) plus $10 equal liquidated damages. Meal remedy alone is $180.
8h, 0 lunch, $20 → $160 wages + $10 meal (0.5h) + $10 meal damages = $180 if only the 30-minute meal is missed
Same day, rest assumption: floor(8 ÷ 4) = 2 missed 15-minute rests → $10 rest + $10 rest damages on top
8h with 30 min lunch → meal allowed; rests still counted from hours worked
Rest-break assumption (this UI only has lunch minutes)
Section 177.253 is “within each four consecutive hours of work.” Typical hour-entry tools cannot see whether a rest was given inside a 4-hour block. This punch panel has unpaid lunch and no rest-taken flag. Assumption, labeled here and on the ticket: count one 15-minute rest as missed for each complete 4 hours of work (floor of hours worked ÷ 4). A 30-minute unpaid lunch means the meal was allowed; it is not treated as a rest. Five consecutive hours with no lunch do not trigger the meal (under 6) and count one rest (floor(5/4) = 1).
The remedy minutes are not hours worked. They do not move the FLSA weekly-40 line. Minnesota’s 48-hour state overtime statute is out of scope.
In scope
- 30-minute meal on 6 or more consecutive hours (lunch < 30 = miss)
- 15-minute rest per complete 4 hours of work (no rest flag; see assumption)
- Missed time at the regular rate plus equal liquidated damages
- Punch-in/out, unpaid lunch; FLSA weekly 40 on hours worked
Out of scope
- Minn. Stat. § 177.25 48-hour state overtime
- Collective-bargaining different break schedules (§§ 177.253 subd. 2, 177.254 subd. 3)
- California-style 1-hour meal premium
- A rest-taken checkbox this UI does not have — misses are inferred as documented
FAQ
What meal break does Minnesota require as of 1 January 2026?
Minn. Stat. § 177.254: an employer must allow each employee who is working for six or more consecutive hours a meal break of at least 30 minutes. Payment is not required for the meal when it is provided. If it is not allowed, the employer is liable for the meal break time that should have been allowed at the regular rate, plus an equal amount as liquidated damages.
What is the 8-hour no-lunch example at $20?
Eight hours, zero lunch, $20: $160 in wages for hours worked. The 30-minute meal was not allowed, so $10 (0.5h × $20) plus $10 equal liquidated damages. Meal remedy alone is $180. Rest breaks are a separate line under the assumption below.
How does this page count rest breaks with only a lunch box?
Minn. Stat. § 177.253 requires a rest of at least 15 minutes within each four consecutive hours of work. This punch UI has unpaid lunch minutes and no rest-taken flag. Rest-break assumption: a 15-minute rest is counted as missed for each complete 4 hours of work (floor of hours worked ÷ 4). Lunch of 30+ minutes means the meal was allowed; lunch is not treated as a rest. Each missed rest is 15 minutes at the regular rate plus an equal amount as liquidated damages.
Are the remedy minutes overtime hours?
No. The statutes pay the break time that should have been allowed, plus liquidated damages. Those minutes are not hours worked and do not change the FLSA weekly-40 split on this page. Minnesota’s separate 48-hour state overtime rule (Minn. Stat. § 177.25) is out of scope.
