Missouri's wage rules changed quickly over the last two years. Voters raised the minimum wage and created a paid sick leave requirement in 2024, and the legislature then repealed the sick leave mandate and the yearly inflation adjustment in 2025. Here is where things stand for private employers in 2026.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $15.00 per hour since January 1, 2026 (Missouri Division of Labor Standards) |
| Tipped employees | At least 50% of minimum wage ($7.50) in cash, with tips making up the rest |
| Overtime | Time and a half over 40 hours in a workweek (Wages, Hours and Dismissal Rights) |
| Meal and rest breaks | Not required for adults; youth in the entertainment industry have break rules |
| Paid sick leave | No longer required starting August 28, 2025 (HB 567 FAQ) |
| Payday | At least semimonthly for covered employers (RSMo 290.080) |
| Final pay | Wages due at the time of discharge; 7-day response after a certified-mail demand |
| Minors | Work certificates for ages 14-15; hour limits under 16 (Youth Employment) |
Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00 per hour for 2026. The Department of Labor's November 2025 announcement confirmed the increase from $13.75 in 2025 and noted two other changes: the minimum wage will no longer be adjusted each year for inflation (the Consumer Price Index), and public employers that were previously exempt are now covered by the state minimum wage law. Because annual indexing has ended, no automatic 2027 increase applies, and the state has not announced a 2027 rate.
Employers must pay tipped employees at least 50% of the minimum wage, which is $7.50 per hour, plus whatever is needed to bring total pay (cash wage plus tips) up to at least $15.00 for every hour worked, according to the Missouri minimum wage page.
Retail or service businesses with annual gross sales or business done of less than $500,000 are not required to pay the state minimum wage. Those businesses may still be covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and its $7.25 minimum, and the Missouri page points such employers to the U.S. Department of Labor. It also reminds employers that most are subject to both state and federal law, and that following a less protective Missouri provision does not excuse a federal violation.
Missouri overtime starts after 40 hours in a workweek, not after eight hours in a day. Covered employees must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for overtime hours. The state's Wages, Hours and Dismissal Rights page adds that employees cannot waive overtime in exchange for straight-time pay, and an employer that asks them to do so is violating the law. The U.S. DOL state table notes a different threshold, 52 hours a week, for seasonal amusement or recreation businesses. For the federal rules that also apply, read our FLSA overtime guide or run numbers in the overtime calculator.
Missouri law does not require employers to give adult employees a break of any kind, including a lunch hour. Any breaks you choose to offer are governed by your own policy.
The exception is youth in the entertainment industry. A minor working in entertainment cannot work more than five and a half hours without a meal break, and must receive a 15-minute rest period after every two hours of continuous work.
Proposition A, approved by voters in 2024, required Missouri employers to provide earned paid sick time starting in 2025. The legislature later passed HB 567, and according to the Department of Labor, employers are no longer required to provide earned paid sick time beginning August 28, 2025. Employers may continue to offer it if they wish.
The Department's general page states that employers are not required to offer paid sick leave or any other paid fringe benefit; those are set by company policy or contract. You may offer sick leave to some employees and not others, as long as you do not discriminate on the basis of age, race, sex, religion, national origin or other protected traits. Unpaid, job-protected leave for an employee's own illness may be available under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.
Missouri also requires a poster titled "Notice to Victims of Domestic and Sexual Violence Leave Time Allowed" (LS-112), among its required notices. Review that notice on the poster page for the leave rights it describes. Our PTO accrual calculator can help if you keep a voluntary sick leave policy.
Under RSMo 290.080, covered employers must pay wages at least semimonthly, within 16 days after the close of each payroll period. Executive, administrative and professional employees and salespeople may be paid monthly at the employer's option.
Discharged employees. Employers must pay a discharged employee all wages due at the time of dismissal. If that does not happen, the employee may send a written request by certified mail, and the employer has seven days to respond. An employer that fails to pay within that window can owe additional wages until the employee is paid, for up to 60 days. The Department's FAQ explains that the state cannot collect wages for individuals, so unpaid amounts must be pursued through small claims court (under $5,000) or circuit court.
Employees who quit. The Department's pages do not set a separate deadline for employees who resign. Check with the Division of Labor Standards if you have a specific situation.
Missouri's child labor law applies to youth under 16. Children under 14 generally may not work, except in entertainment and certain casual work. Teens aged 14 and 15 need a work certificate before they start: the teen and a parent or guardian fill out the first section, the employer completes the second, and an authorized school representative completes the last. Youth under 16 who work in entertainment need an entertainment permit from the Division of Labor Standards.
Hour limits for ages 14 and 15:
Missouri's state law does not set hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, but federal hazardous-occupation rules still apply to all workers under 18.
The Division of Labor Standards requires employers to keep each employee's name, address and job description, pay rate, amount paid each pay period, and hours worked each day and each workweek, for no less than three years. Underpaid employees can recover the wages owed plus an equal amount in liquidated damages, court costs and attorney fees. Missouri's mandatory posters page lists the Missouri Minimum Wage Law poster (LS-52), the domestic and sexual violence leave notice (LS-112), unemployment, workers' compensation and discrimination notices, and the list of employees under age 16 (LS-43) for employers that hire younger teens. A time card calculator helps you total daily hours for your records.
EZTime gives Missouri teams one place to track hours and stay on top of the rules above. Employees clock in with the GPS mobile time clock and geofencing, NFC tags, a shared tablet kiosk, or biometric clocks. Managers build schedules with shift templates and approve shift swaps in the scheduling software, get overtime and break alerts before a problem shows up on a paycheck, and track PTO and sick-leave balances. At the end of each period, payroll-ready Excel and PDF exports work with any payroll software. Plans start from $2 per employee per month, with a 14-day trial; see pricing.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the Missouri Division of Labor Standards or an employment attorney. Last reviewed November 2026.
Missouri’s minimum wage is $15.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026. The state no longer adjusts it each year for inflation, and no 2027 rate has been announced.
No. After HB 567, employers are no longer required to provide earned paid sick time beginning August 28, 2025, though they may continue to offer it.
Tipped employees must be paid at least 50% of the minimum wage, or $7.50 per hour, plus enough to bring total pay with tips up to $15.00 per hour.
No. Missouri law does not require breaks of any kind for adult employees. Youth in the entertainment industry are the exception.
Wages are due at the time a discharged employee is let go. If they are not paid, the employee can send a certified-mail request, and the employer has seven days to respond.