Lunch Break Calculator

Question 1

Is my lunch break paid or unpaid?

Accepted Answer

A bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more, where you are completely relieved of duty, is unpaid. If you are asked to answer the phone, watch a register, monitor a machine or stay at your desk, you are not relieved of duty and the whole break is paid work time.

Question 2

Are 15-minute breaks paid?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Rest breaks of roughly 20 minutes or less are counted as hours worked under the FLSA, must be paid, and count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold. An employer cannot dock them, and cannot require you to clock out for them.

Question 3

Does federal law require a lunch break at all?

Accepted Answer

No. The FLSA does not require meal or rest breaks for adult workers — it only governs whether a break you do get must be paid. Meal-break entitlements come from state law, so a Texas shift can legally run without a lunch while a California shift cannot.

Question 4

What happens if I work through my lunch?

Accepted Answer

If you perform any work during an unpaid meal period, that time is compensable and must be added back to your hours. In California a missed, late or interrupted meal period also triggers one extra hour of pay at your regular rate for that day.

Question 5

Can my employer automatically deduct 30 minutes for lunch?

Accepted Answer

Automatic deductions are only lawful when you genuinely took the full, uninterrupted break. If the deduction happens on days you worked through, the employer is not paying for hours worked — keep your own record of the days it happened.

Question 6

Do unpaid breaks count toward overtime?

Accepted Answer

No. Unpaid meal periods are not hours worked, so they do not count toward 40. That is why a 9-hour scheduled day with a 30-minute lunch is only 8.5 paid hours, and five of those days is 42.5 paid hours — 2.5 of them at time and a half.

State	Meal break requirement	If it is missed
California	30-min unpaid meal before the end of hour 5; second meal past 10 hours	1 hour of pay per missed meal
New York	30-min meal for shifts spanning the noon period; 45 min for factory work	No statutory penalty hour
Washington	30-min meal between hours 2 and 5; paid 10-min rest every 4 hours	Missed break paid as worked time
Colorado	30-min unpaid meal past 5 hours; paid 10-min rest per 4 hours	Missed break paid as worked time
Illinois	20-min meal within the first 5 hours of a 7.5-hour shift	Department of Labor complaint
Texas / Florida / most states	No state meal-break mandate for adults	Federal rules on paid time still apply

Your Shift and Breaks

State Meal Break Rules at a Glance (2026)

The Test Is Relief From Duty, Not the Clock

Lunch Break FAQ

Calculate Overtime by State