New Hampshire Employment Laws for Employers

New Hampshire minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (the federal minimum wage). (New Hampshire minimum wage (U.S. DOL WHD, State Minimum Wage Laws, updated July 1, 2026))

“New Hampshire Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25”

“Effective 08/21/2011, no employee shall be paid at an hourly rate lower than that set forth in the federal minimum wage law, which is currently $7.25 per hour.”

dol.gov · dol.nh.gov

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Wages must be paid weekly or bi-weekly; paying less often (semi-monthly or monthly) requires written permission of the NH Department of Labor. (New Hampshire payday (U.S. DOL WHD, State Payday Requirements, footnote 15))

“New Hampshire. Weekly or Bi-weekly payment of wages is required. Semi-monthly or monthly payments of wages are available upon written permission of the NHDOL.”

“IV. The commissioner may, upon written petition showing good and sufficient reason, permit payment of wages other than weekly or biweekly, except that it shall be at least once each calendar month.”

dol.gov · gc.nh.gov

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Employees may not be required to work more than 5 consecutive hours without a 30-minute meal period. (New Hampshire statute (U.S. DOL WHD, Meal Period Requirements table))

“New Hampshire ½ hour, after 5 consecutive hours, unless feasible for employee to eat while working and is permitted to do so by employer.”

“An employer cannot require that an employee work more than five consecutive hours without granting a thirty minute lunch or eating period.”

dol.gov · dol.nh.gov

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New Hampshire recognizes a common-law wrongful termination claim when the employer fired the employee out of bad faith, malice, or retaliation, and did so because the employee performed acts public policy would encourage or refused to perform acts public policy would condemn (Cloutier; Short v. School Administrative Unit). (Faulkner v. Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, No. 1:12-cv-00482-SM (D.N.H. Aug. 12, 2015), quoting Short v. Sch. Admin. Unit No. 16, 136 N.H. 76, 84 (1992); McMillen v. Concord Hospital, No. 1:12-cv-00077-SM (D.N.H. Sept. 22, 2014), quoting Short v. Sch. Admin. Unit No. 16, 136 N.H. 76, 84 (1992), citing Cloutier v. Great Atl. & Pac. Tea Co., 121 N.H. 915 (1981))

“To prevail on such a claim, Faulkner must demonstrate two things: one, that the employer terminated the employment out of bad faith, malice, or retaliation; and two, that the employer terminated the employment because the employee performed acts which public policy would encourage or because he refused to perform acts which public policy would condemn.”

“Under New Hampshire common law, to prevail on a claim for wrongful discharge, a plaintiff must demonstrate two things: one, that the employer terminated the employment out of bad faith, malice, or retaliation; and two, that the employer terminated the employment because the employee performed acts which public policy would encourage or because he refused to perform acts which public policy would condemn.”

govinfo.gov · govinfo.gov

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New Hampshire recognizes that an employee handbook can function as a contract that alters at-will employment (Panto v. Moore Business Forms). (Balsamo v. University System of New Hampshire, No. 1:10-cv-00500-PB, 2011 DNH 150 (D.N.H. Sept. 30, 2011), discussing Panto v. Moore Business Forms, Inc., 130 N.H. 730 (1988); Butler v. Hitchiner Manufacturing Corp., No. CV-96-624-JD (D.N.H. Dec. 4, 1997), citing Panto, 130 N.H. at 735)

“In Panto v. Moore Bus. Forms, Inc., the New Hampshire Supreme Court ruled that employee handbooks could alter the atwill status of an employment relationship by creating a contractual obligation on the part of employers to warn or to provide a hearing to employees before discharge.”

“Even without an explicit employment contract, however, an employee handbook may function as a contract, altering either the duration or the terms and conditions of the employment relationship.”

govinfo.gov · nhd.uscourts.gov

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