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Washington meal and rest break law

The short answer

Employees must be allowed a meal period of at least 30 minutes (½ hour) when working more than 5 consecutive hours, starting no less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from the beginning of the shift; it is paid time if the employee must remain on duty. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table)) Employees working 3 or more hours beyond a normal workday must be allowed an additional 30-minute (½ hour) meal period before or during the overtime. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table)) Paid rest period of at least 10 minutes for each 4 hours of working time, scheduled near the midpoint; no employee may be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD rest period table))

Last verified Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule

General information, not legal advice. This page is for general information only and isn’t legal, financial or tax advice. Laws vary by state and change; check the official source or talk to a qualified professional about your situation. Every rule on this page links to its official source.

Meal breaks

Do adult employees get a meal break?30 minutesVerified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official sources

  • Overtime additional meal: Employees working 3 or more hours beyond a normal workday must be allowed an additional 30-minute (½ hour) meal period before or during the overtime. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table))

    “Additional ½ hour, before or during overtime, for employees working 3 or more hours beyond regular workday.”

    WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table) · dol.gov

    “(3) Employees working three or more hours longer than a normal work day shall be allowed at least one thirty-minute meal period prior to or during the overtime period.”

    dol.gov · app.leg.wa.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official sources

  • General rule: Employees must be allowed a meal period of at least 30 minutes (½ hour) when working more than 5 consecutive hours, starting no less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from the beginning of the shift; it is paid time if the employee must remain on duty. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table))

    “½ hour, if work period is more than 5 consecutive hours, to be given not less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from beginning of shift. Counted as worktime if employee is required to remain on duty on premises or at a prescribed worksite. Additional ½ hour, before or during overtime, for employees working 3 or more hours beyond regular workday.”

    WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table) · dol.gov

    “(1) Employees shall be allowed a meal period of at least thirty minutes which commences no less than two hours nor more than five hours from the beginning of the shift. Meal periods shall be on the employer's time when the employee is required by the employer to remain on duty on the premises or at a prescribed work site in the interest of the employer. (2) No employee shall be required to work more than five consecutive hours without a meal period.”

    dol.gov · app.leg.wa.gov · verified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official sources

Rest breaks

Do adult employees get paid rest breaks?10 min per 4 hoursVerified Sep 24, 2026 · 2 official sources

Paid rest period of at least 10 minutes for each 4 hours of working time, scheduled near the midpoint; no employee may be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD rest period table))

“Paid 10-minute rest period for each 4-hour work period, scheduled as near as possible to midpoint of each work period. Employee may not be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period.”

WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD rest period table) · dol.gov

“(4) Employees shall be allowed a rest period of not less than ten minutes, on the employer's time, for each four hours of working time. Rest periods shall be scheduled as near as possible to the midpoint of the work period. No employee shall be required to work more than three hours without a rest period.”

dol.gov · app.leg.wa.gov

What it means for an employer

  1. Write down the break schedule for each shift length and give it to your staff.
  2. Short breaks you offer (about 5 to 20 minutes) count as paid work time under federal rules (U.S. DOL).
  3. A meal period can be unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved from duty (29 CFR 785.19).
  4. Record meal periods in your time system so you can show when each one started and ended.

The federal default

“Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks (usually lasting about 5 to 20 minutes), federal law considers the breaks as compensable work hours that would be included in the sum of hours worked during the workweek and considered in determining if overtime was worked.”

U.S. Department of Labor: Breaks and meal periods · dol.gov

“Bona fide meal periods are not worktime. Bona fide meal periods do not include coffee breaks or time for snacks. These are rest periods. The employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals.”

State rules can add to the federal default. The Washington rules above are the ones we verified; for anything not covered, ask the state labor office.

Breaks: Washington and its neighbors

StateMeal breakRest break
Washington30 minutes10 min per 4 hours
IdahoNot verifiedNot verified
OregonVerified: see rule10 min per 4 hours

Only verified rules are shown. "Not verified" means we have not checked that state's rule yet; open its rulebook for the official source.

Washington employer rulebookEvery verified rule for the stateBreak laws by stateOne row per state, with sources

Questions about Washington break laws

Do adult employees get a meal break in Washington?

Overtime additional meal: Employees working 3 or more hours beyond a normal workday must be allowed an additional 30-minute (½ hour) meal period before or during the overtime. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table)) Employees must be allowed a meal period of at least 30 minutes (½ hour) when working more than 5 consecutive hours, starting no less than 2 hours nor more than 5 hours from the beginning of the shift; it is paid time if the employee must remain on duty. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD meal period table))

Do adult employees get paid rest breaks in Washington?

Paid rest period of at least 10 minutes for each 4 hours of working time, scheduled near the midpoint; no employee may be required to work more than 3 hours without a rest period. (WAC 296-126-092 (U.S. DOL WHD rest period table))

Sources (5)

Checked Sep 24, 2026 · How we verify every rule · Report an error