Missouri Labor Laws 2026: Wage, Overtime, Sick Leave Repeal, and Pay

Missouri employers went through a whiplash year. Proposition A, approved by voters in November 2024, raised the minimum wage to $15.00 and created a paid sick leave mandate that took effect May 1, 2025. House Bill 567, signed in July 2025 and effective August 28, 2025, repealed the sick leave requirement and removed the automatic inflation adjustments scheduled from 2027. The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards, enforces what remains: the $15.00 wage, state overtime, wage payment rules, and youth employment law.

$15.00/hrMinimum Wage

1.5x after 40 hoursOvertime

Not requiredMeal Breaks

Not requiredRest Breaks

Repealed August 28, 2025Paid Sick Leave

Immediately on dischargeFinal Paycheck

Minimum Wage in Missouri

Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026, the final step of Proposition A. The Division of Labor Standards states that tipped employees must be paid at least 50 percent of the minimum wage, $7.50 per hour, plus enough in tips to reach $15.00. Retail and service businesses with annual gross sales under $500,000 are exempt from the state law and pay the federal $7.25 if the FLSA covers them. HB 567 removed the cost-of-living adjustment that would have started in 2027, so no increase is scheduled.

See the full Missouri minimum wage guide for the history, the exemptions, and the effect of the 2025 repeal. The minimum wage by state table shows Missouri among the $15.00 states.

Overtime Rules

Missouri's Minimum Wage Law (RSMo 290.505) requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The Division's guidance: "Employers must pay at least one and one-half times the employee's regular rate of pay once overtime pay is in effect," and employees cannot waive the right. Overtime is weekly only; there is no daily threshold. Employees of amusement or recreation businesses operating seasonally have a 52-hour threshold, and the retail and service exemption under $500,000 applies to overtime as well as the minimum wage.

At the state minimum, a 45-hour week pays $600.00 for the first 40 hours plus $112.50 for 5 overtime hours at $22.50, a total of $712.50. The overtime calculator handles other rates, and the guide to overtime pay laws by state explains how the state and federal rules interact.

Meal and Rest Breaks

Missouri does not require breaks for adult employees. The Division's wording: "Missouri law does not require employers to provide employees a break of any kind, including a lunch hour." The only exception is for youth under 16 in the entertainment industry, who must receive a meal break after 5.5 hours and a 15-minute rest period after every 2 hours worked.

Break	Missouri rule
Meal break	Not required; if offered, unpaid only when duty-free and typically 30 minutes or more
Rest break	Not required; federal rule pays short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes when offered
Entertainment industry youth under 16	Meal break after 5.5 hours; 15 minutes of rest after each 2 hours
Lactation	Federal PUMP Act requires reasonable break time and a private space

Any break promised in a policy, contract, or collective bargaining agreement is enforceable. Our guide to rest and meal break laws by state compares the states, and the break time calculator shows how breaks affect paid hours.

Paid Sick Leave and Other Leave

Missouri briefly had a paid sick leave mandate. Proposition A required one hour of paid sick leave per 30 hours worked from May 1, 2025, with 56 hours of use for employers with 15 or more employees and 40 hours for smaller ones. HB 567 repealed the entire sick leave section effective August 28, 2025. Employers that granted leave between May 1 and August 28, 2025 had to honor it during that window, but no ongoing obligation exists. Leave already offered under a company policy continues to be governed by that policy.

Leave type	Missouri rule
Paid sick leave	Not required after August 28, 2025 (Proposition A mandate repealed by HB 567)
Paid family leave	Not required; federal FMLA applies at 50 employees
Jury duty	Job protected; no pay requirement (RSMo 494.460)
Voting	Up to 3 hours of paid leave if the employee lacks 3 consecutive non-work hours while polls are open and requests it before election day (RSMo 115.639)
Military leave	Federal USERRA and state protections
Victims of crime	Employers with 20 or more employees must allow unpaid leave to attend proceedings; domestic and sexual violence victims have leave rights under RSMo 285.625 (2021)

Our guides to paid sick leave laws by state and jury duty laws put Missouri's position in context. Employers with staff in Kansas City or St. Louis should note that state law preempts local paid leave ordinances (RSMo 285.055 and 290.145).

PTO Payout and Final Paychecks

Missouri's final paycheck rule is one of the fastest in the country for discharged employees. RSMo 290.110 requires an employer to pay a discharged employee all wages due at the time of dismissal. If the employer does not, the employee may make a written request, and if wages remain unpaid seven days after the request the employee's wages continue to accrue as a penalty for up to 60 days. The Division summarizes it as "Employers are required to pay a discharged employee all wages due at the time of dismissal." There is no statute for employees who quit, so the next regular payday is the customary deadline.

Vacation payout is not required. The Division's guidance: "Employers are not required to provide vacation pay, holiday pay, or severance pay — these are benefits given at an employer's discretion." A written policy that promises payout is enforceable as a contract. See the PTO payout laws by state guide for comparison.

Pay frequency: RSMo 290.080 requires manufacturing and most other private employers to pay at least semimonthly, within 16 days of the end of the pay period; executive, administrative, and professional employees may be paid monthly.

Exempt vs Non-Exempt Employees

Missouri follows the federal white-collar exemptions and the $684 per week salary threshold. The state minimum wage law also excludes several categories, including certain agricultural workers, employees of retail and service businesses under $500,000 in sales, and some seasonal and student workers, so an employer should check both lists. See exempt vs non-exempt employees and the FLSA exemption flowchart.

Child Labor Rules

Missouri's Child Labor Law requires a work certificate for 14 and 15 year olds before they start work. During the school term the "Certificate to Employ a Child 14 or 15 Years of Age During School Term" is used, and a separate non-school-term certificate applies in summer. Youth under 14 may not work outside agriculture, entertainment, and casual jobs.

Age group	School term	Non-school term	Hours of the day
14 and 15	3 hours on a school day; 40 hours and 6 days a week maximum	8 hours a day; 40 hours and 6 days a week	7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the school term; 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. otherwise (10:30 p.m. at a regional fair between June 1 and Labor Day)
16 and 17	No state hour limits	Same	Hazardous occupations prohibited

Federal rules add an 18-hour school-week cap for 14 and 15 year olds, and the employer follows the stricter limit. The federal child labor laws guide covers the hazardous list.

Other Missouri Employment Rules

Local preemption. State law bars cities and counties from setting a higher minimum wage or mandating employee benefits, which is why Kansas City's and St. Louis's earlier ordinances do not apply.
Pay statements. Employers must provide a written statement of deductions with each payment when requested; keep records of hours and wages for three years under RSMo 290.520.
Non-compete agreements. Enforceable when reasonable, with RSMo 431.202 presuming one-year non-solicitation covenants reasonable; confirm with counsel.
Drug testing. No statute restricts private-sector testing; a 2022 constitutional amendment legalized recreational cannabis but allows employers to prohibit use at work and to test, with limited protection for medical patients.
Right to work. Missouri is not a right-to-work state; a 2017 law was overturned by referendum in 2018.
Wage discrimination. RSMo 290.400 to 290.460 prohibits paying women less than men for the same work.

Hiring, Termination, and Record-Keeping

Missouri is an at-will state. The Missouri Human Rights Act covers employers with six or more employees and prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age (40 to 69), and disability, enforced by the Missouri Commission on Human Rights. Federal Title VII applies at 15 employees.

Required postings include the Division's minimum wage notice (updated for 2026), the discrimination notice, unemployment insurance, and workers' compensation posters with the federal set. Because a discharged employee must be paid the same day, employers need current hour totals at all times; a written timekeeping policy plus a time card calculator or automatic time tracking makes a same-day final check practical.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum wage in Missouri in 2026? $15.00 per hour, effective January 1, 2026. Tipped employees receive at least $7.50 in cash plus tips. No 2027 increase is scheduled after HB 567 removed indexing.

Is paid sick leave required in Missouri? No. The Proposition A mandate that began May 1, 2025 was repealed by HB 567 effective August 28, 2025.

Are employers in Missouri required to give lunch breaks? No. Missouri law does not require breaks of any kind for adult employees.

When must a fired employee be paid in Missouri? At the time of dismissal. If wages go unpaid seven days after a written request, penalty wages accrue for up to 60 days.

When is the final paycheck due if an employee quits in Missouri? Missouri has no statute for resignations, so the next regular payday is the customary deadline.

Does Missouri require vacation payout? No, unless the employer's written policy promises it.

Does Missouri have daily overtime? No. Overtime is owed after 40 hours in a workweek at 1.5 times the regular rate.

Can a city in Missouri set its own minimum wage? No. State law preempts local minimum wage and benefit ordinances.

Sources

Reviewed September 2026

Missouri's sick leave repeal and the removal of minimum wage indexing under HB 567 are current as of September 2026, but litigation over Proposition A's repeal has been discussed and could change the picture. The voting leave, victim leave, pay frequency, and Human Rights Act figures come from the statutes and should be confirmed with the Division of Labor Standards or counsel before you act on them.

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