Break Time Calculator

Short rest breaks of about 5–20 minutes count as paid work time under federal law; bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more where you are fully relieved of duty can be unpaid. Mark each break paid or unpaid in the calculator and only the unpaid ones are deducted.

Federal law requires none — break rights come from state law and employer policy. A common state pattern (California, Washington, Oregon, Colorado) for 8 hours is one unpaid 30-minute meal break plus two paid 10-minute rest breaks.

California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break before the end of the 5th hour, a second before the end of the 10th, and a paid 10-minute rest break per 4 hours worked (or major fraction). A missed break owes one extra hour of premium pay per day.

Only if your state and employer allow it. In California a first meal break can be waived by mutual consent only when the shift is 6 hours or less. Skipping breaks you are entitled to often creates liability for the employer, so many enforce them strictly.

Time worked is time paid — an auto-deducted lunch you actually worked through must be paid, and in some states owes premium pay too. Set that day’s lunch to 0 in the calculator, keep notes, and raise the discrepancy with payroll in writing.