Under Minnesota lunch break laws, as updated on January 1, 2026, your employer must give you a meal break of at least 30 minutes whenever you work six or more consecutive hours, plus a rest break of at least 15 minutes for every four consecutive hours on the clock.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods Skip either one, and the employer owes you the missed break time at your regular rate plus an equal amount in liquidated damages.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 177.253 – Mandatory Work Breaks
The 30-Minute Meal Break
Any shift of six or more consecutive hours triggers a meal break of at least 30 minutes under Minnesota Statutes § 177.254.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods The six-hour threshold matters for part-time and mid-shift workers who used to fall through the gap between six and eight hours under the prior rule.
Your employer does not have to pay for the meal break, but only if you are completely relieved of all duties during that time.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods More on that in a moment.
The 15-Minute Rest Break
Within every four consecutive hours you work, Minnesota Statutes § 177.253 requires a rest break of at least 15 minutes.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods You can use the time however you want. If reaching and using the nearest restroom takes longer than 15 minutes, your employer must give you however long that takes.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 177.253 – Mandatory Work Breaks
When Breaks Are Paid and When They Are Not
Minnesota Rules 5200.0120 draws a bright line at 20 minutes. Any break shorter than that counts as hours worked and must be paid at your regular rate.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Rules 5200.0120 – Hours Worked Federal law uses the same cutoff.4U.S. Department of Labor. Breaks and Meal Periods So your 15-minute rest break is always paid.
For a meal break to be unpaid, two things have to be true: it lasts at least 20 minutes, and you are completely relieved of all duties. If you have to watch a phone, cover a counter, or stay available for questions, you are still working and the time is compensable.3Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Rules 5200.0120 – Hours Worked If your meal gets interrupted by calls to duty often enough, the whole period counts as hours worked.
One point that catches people off guard: your employer can require you to stay on the premises during an unpaid break, as long as you have no work responsibilities during that time.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods Staying in the building is not the same as being on duty.
Lactation Breaks
Minnesota Statutes § 181.939 requires every employer in the state, including those with just one employee, to provide reasonable break time each day for an employee who needs to express breast milk. The time can run concurrently with your other rest or meal breaks when that works, and your employer cannot reduce your pay for time spent pumping.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 181.939 – Nursing Mothers, Lactating Employees, and Pregnancy Accommodations
The employer must make reasonable efforts to provide a clean, private, secure space, shielded from view and free from intrusion, with an electrical outlet. A bathroom or toilet stall does not qualify. Unlike the federal PUMP Act, which runs out one year after the child’s birth, the Minnesota statute has no time limit.6U.S. Department of Labor. FLSA Protections to Pump at Work The law also prohibits discharge, discipline, or any other form of retaliation for using these rights.5Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 181.939 – Nursing Mothers, Lactating Employees, and Pregnancy Accommodations
Who the Break Laws Do Not Cover
These rules sit inside the Minnesota Fair Labor Standards Act, so they reach anyone who qualifies as an “employee” under that act. Several groups may be excluded, including certain agricultural workers, employees in bona fide executive, administrative, or professional roles, and certain seasonal day camp staff.1Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Work Breaks, Rest Periods
If you work under a collective bargaining agreement, the union contract can set different rest and meal break arrangements than the statute requires.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 177.253 – Mandatory Work Breaks The contract controls.
Federal law, worth noting as a boundary, does not require rest or meal breaks at all.4U.S. Department of Labor. Breaks and Meal Periods The guarantees above are purely state-level.
If Your Employer Is Skipping Your Breaks
Contact the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s Labor Standards Division at 651-284-5075 or dli.laborstandards@state.mn.us. An investigator will follow up within two business days, and you will complete an intake over the phone.7Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Wage Claim Have your employer’s legal name, the dates of the missed breaks, and any schedule or time records ready.
If the DLI finds a violation, the employer owes you the break time that should have been allowed at your regular rate, plus an additional equal amount in liquidated damages.2Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes. Minnesota Code 177.253 – Mandatory Work Breaks That effectively doubles what you are owed.