Utah Labor Laws
An employer guide for 2026

Utah labor laws at a glance

Utah generally tracks federal wage standards, but it adds its own rules on paydays, final pay and teenage workers. The table gives the essentials; the sections below explain how each rule works in practice.

EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.

Utah minimum wage

Utah's minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, set by the Labor Commission in Utah Administrative Code R610-1, which shows a notice of continuation dated January 2026. Under the Utah Minimum Wage Act, the Commission's rate may not exceed the federal minimum wage, and the Commission must review the rate at least every three years and whenever the federal minimum changes. The state act exempts employees who are already entitled to the federal minimum under the Fair Labor Standards Act, so in practice most Utah workers are covered by the identical federal $7.25 rate, as the U.S. DOL state table notes. No 2027 increase has been announced by the Labor Commission.

Tipped employees

Under R610-1, employers of tipped workers must pay a cash wage of at least $2.13 per hour, and tips must reach at least $30 per month before the employer can count them toward the minimum wage. The employee's cash wage plus tips actually received must still equal at least $7.25 for every hour worked. If tips fall short, the employer pays the difference. The U.S. DOL tipped wage table lists the same figures, with a maximum tip credit of $5.12.

Minor employees

R610-1 allows a minor employee to be paid at least $4.25 per hour for the first 90 days of employment with an employer. After 90 days, the regular minimum applies. Because the state act defers to federal law for FLSA-covered workers, confirm which standard governs your business before using this rate.

Overtime in Utah

Utah does not have a separate state overtime statute in its Minimum Wage Act, and the DOL's state table lists no state overtime premium for Utah. Overtime is governed by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: non-exempt employees must receive at least one and one-half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The U.S. DOL explains that the FLSA does not require daily overtime or extra pay for weekends and holidays, and that hours cannot be averaged across two or more weeks. Use our overtime calculator or read the FLSA overtime guide to apply the exemptions correctly.

Meal and rest breaks

Utah does not appear in the U.S. DOL's tables for adult meal periods or paid rest periods, which means adult employees have no state right to breaks. Minors are a different story. Under Utah Administrative Code R610-2-3:

• Employers must give minor employees the opportunity for a meal period of at least 30 minutes, no later than five hours after the start of the workday. If the minor cannot be completely relieved of duty, the meal period must be paid as time worked.
• Minors must receive a paid rest period of at least 10 minutes for each four hours worked or fraction of four hours, and may not be required to work more than three consecutive hours without a 10-minute rest.

These rules apply to every shift a minor works, including short evening shifts, so plan breaks into schedules for teen staff.

Paid sick leave and other leave

We did not find a Utah law requiring private employers to provide paid sick leave or vacation, and the Labor Commission's list of wage laws does not include one. If you offer PTO, your written policy controls how it is earned and used. Our PTO accrual calculator can help you set a simple accrual rate. Larger employers should account for the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, which the U.S. DOL says covers private employers with 50 or more employees in 20 or more workweeks and allows up to 12 workweeks of job-protected leave in a 12-month period for eligible employees.

Paydays and final paychecks

The Utah Payment of Wages Act (Utah Code 34-28-3) requires employers to pay wages at regular intervals no longer than semimonthly, on paydays designated in advance. Wages for a pay period must be paid within 10 days after the pay period closes. Employees hired on a yearly salary may be paid monthly, on or before the seventh of the following month.

Final pay deadlines under Utah Code 34-28-5:

• Separated by the employer: unpaid wages become due immediately and must be paid within 24 hours of the separation.
• Employee resigns: for an employee without a written contract for a definite period, unpaid wages are due on the next regular payday.

If wages go unpaid, employees can file a claim with the Labor Commission's wage claim unit.

Pay statements

Utah's statute requires a written or electronic pay statement for employers licensed under the Utah Construction Trades Licensing Act. The statement must show the employee's name, base pay rate, pay period dates, total paid, hours worked for hourly employees and the amount and reason for each withholding. Those employers must keep copies for at least three years.

Child labor rules

The Utah Employment of Minors Act (Utah Code 34-23-202) limits minors under 16 to:

• No work during school hours unless school authorities approve.
• No more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week.
• No more than 8 hours in a calendar day and 40 hours in a calendar week.
• No work before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m., except until 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day.

The state law sets no daily or weekly hour caps for 16- and 17-year-olds, though hazardous occupations remain off limits for minors unless authorized in writing for an apprenticeship or training program. Utah's statute does not require a work permit, but schools can provide age certificates or birth-date lists on request, and those documents do not shift compliance responsibility away from the employer. Door-to-door sales employers using workers aged 12 to 15 need a Labor Commission license and must follow extra supervision rules in R610-2-4.

Recordkeeping and workplace posters

Under the Minimum Wage Act (34-40-201), employers must keep payroll records showing employee names, addresses, dates of birth, hours worked and wages paid, and keep them for three years. Knowingly failing to keep the records the Employment of Minors Act requires is a misdemeanor.

The Labor Commission provides several notices on its site, including the workers' compensation notice, which itself states it must be posted and kept in public and conspicuous places, the Utah workplace safety and health poster and the federal minimum wage poster. Check the Labor Commission's laws and regulations page for the current rules behind them.

How EZTime helps Utah employers

Utah's 24-hour final pay rule and its meal and rest break requirements for minors make accurate time records essential. EZTime captures every punch with a GPS mobile time clock and geofencing, NFC tags, a tablet kiosk or biometric clocks. Scheduling with shift templates and swaps keeps teen shifts within legal hours, while overtime and break alerts remind managers when a break is due or a week is nearing 40 hours. PTO balances track 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 Utah Labor Commission or an employment attorney. Last reviewed November 2026.