Louisiana relies heavily on federal wage and hour standards, but its own statutes are strict about final paychecks and about how long teenagers can work. Here is a quick summary before the detail.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | No state minimum wage law; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25 per hour (U.S. DOL) |
| Tipped employees | Federal $2.13 per hour cash wage; maximum tip credit $5.12 (U.S. DOL tipped table) |
| Overtime | Federal rule: 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime |
| Meal and rest breaks | No adult break rule; minors under 16 need a 30-minute meal break per 5 hours (R.S. 23:213) |
| Paid sick leave | No state paid sick leave law located for private employers |
| Payday | Twice a month for manufacturing, certain mining and oil, and public service employers (R.S. 23:633) |
| Final pay | Next regular payday or within 15 days, whichever comes first (R.S. 23:631) |
| Minors | Employment certificate on file for each minor; under 16: 3 hours a school day, 18 hours a school week |
Louisiana has no state minimum wage law. The U.S. Department of Labor's state minimum wage table notes that employers subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. If you are unsure whether the FLSA covers your business, confirm with the U.S. DOL Wage and Hour Division before setting pay rates. The state has not announced any 2027 rate, since there is no state rate to adjust.
With no state rule, tipped workers in Louisiana follow the federal standard listed in the DOL tipped minimum wage table: a cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour, a maximum tip credit of $5.12, and the credit applies only to employees who regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. Cash wage plus tips must equal at least $7.25 for every hour worked, and the employer must make up any shortfall.
Louisiana does not have its own general overtime statute, so the federal FLSA sets the rule. The U.S. DOL explains that non-exempt employees must receive at least one and one-half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime requirement, work on weekends or holidays does not trigger premium pay by itself, and hours cannot be averaged across two weeks. Each workweek stands alone. Our overtime calculator and FLSA overtime guide walk through the math and the common exemptions.
Louisiana does not appear among the states with adult requirements in the U.S. DOL's tables for meal periods or paid rest periods, and the DOL notes that states not listed in the rest-period table do not require paid rest breaks. Louisiana does appear in the DOL's list of states with separate meal rules for minors.
Under R.S. 23:213, a minor under 16 may not work any five-hour period without a meal interval of at least 30 minutes. The break does not count as working time. The statute treats a shortfall of up to ten minutes past five hours, or a meal break of at least 20 minutes, as de minimis rather than a violation. The break must be recorded in the employer's normal timekeeping system, and if a manager edits a missed punch, both the minor and the manager must acknowledge the change in writing. That makes a reliable time clock more than a convenience for businesses that hire young teens.
We did not find a Louisiana statute requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave or vacation. If you offer PTO, put the accrual, use and payout rules in a written policy so managers apply them the same way for everyone. The PTO accrual calculator is a quick way to model a policy. For larger employers, the federal Family and Medical Leave Act applies to private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks and allows eligible employees up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period, according to the U.S. DOL. For state leave questions, check with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.
R.S. 23:633 requires employers engaged in manufacturing of any kind, oil-boring and mining operations with ten or more employees, and public service corporations to pay in full no less than twice each calendar month, with paydays as close to two weeks apart as practicable. Under the same section, if paydays are not designated they fall on the first and sixteenth of the month or as near as practicable. Clerical staff and salespeople (except at public service corporations), bona fide executive, administrative, supervisory and professional employees, and FLSA-exempt employees are excluded. The U.S. DOL payday table lists Louisiana under both biweekly and semimonthly schedules. Employers outside these industries should still choose a regular schedule and keep to it.
Under R.S. 23:631:
Payment must be made where and how it was customarily made, or by mail with postage prepaid to the employee's current address on file. Missing the deadline is expensive. Under R.S. 23:632, an employer that fails to comply can owe the lesser of 90 days' wages at the employee's daily rate or full wages from the employee's demand until payment, plus reasonable attorney fees. If the employer disputed the amount in good faith, liability is generally limited to the contested sum plus interest.
Louisiana's child labor statutes go well beyond federal law. Key rules for minors who have not graduated from high school include:
A minor who has passed the GED and received an equivalency diploma is treated as a graduate, and all hours remain subject to any local curfew ordinance.
Under R.S. 23:182, every employer of minors must obtain and keep on file an employment certificate for each minor, with exceptions for approved federally funded youth training programs and for theatrical, modeling, film, television and performing arts work. A certificate is valid only for the employer named on it, and R.S. 23:187 requires the employer to keep it on file after the minor leaves. The legislature's Act 61 of 2026 updated the certificate process, moving responsibilities away from schools and directing the Louisiana Workforce Commission to make the form available online and at field offices. Confirm the current procedure with the Louisiana Workforce Commission before hiring a minor.
Keep the employment certificate for each minor, and record exact start, end and meal break times; R.S. 23:213 specifically requires minors' meal breaks to be documented in your timekeeping system. Accurate time and pay records also protect you if a former employee disputes a final paycheck under R.S. 23:631. For any Louisiana-specific workplace posters, check with the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and display the federal posters that apply to your business.
Louisiana's 15-day final pay deadline, the penalty for missing it and the documented meal breaks required for minors all depend on clean time data. EZTime records hours with a GPS mobile time clock and geofencing, NFC tags, a tablet kiosk or biometric clocks. Scheduling with shift templates and swaps helps keep teen workers within school-day limits, while overtime and break alerts warn managers before problems occur. PTO balances update automatically, and payroll-ready Excel or PDF exports work with any payroll software. Plans start at $2 per employee per month with a 14-day trial; see pricing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the Louisiana Workforce Commission or an employment attorney. Last reviewed November 2026.
No. Louisiana has no state minimum wage law, so employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour.
Whether an employee quits or is fired, final wages are due by the next regular payday or within 15 days of separation, whichever comes first. Late payment can trigger a penalty of up to 90 days’ wages plus attorney fees.
Not for adults. Minors under 16 must receive a meal break of at least 30 minutes for any five-hour work period, and the break must be recorded in the employer’s timekeeping system.
Minors under 16 may work no more than 3 hours on a school day, 18 hours in a school week, 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week, and not between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. (9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day).
Yes. Employers must obtain and keep on file an employment certificate for each minor they employ, with limited exceptions such as performing arts work. A 2026 law updated the certificate process, so confirm the current steps with the Louisiana Workforce Commission.