Overtime in Washington
Daily overtime
Washington has no daily overtime threshold. Overtime is counted weekly. Only California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado count it by the day.
Weekly overtime
No employer may work an employee for a workweek longer than forty hours unless the hours beyond forty are paid at not less than one and a half times the regular rate. The threshold matches federal law; Washington’s salary threshold for the executive, administrative and professional exemptions is higher than the federal one and rises each year, so a salaried worker who is exempt federally may still be owed overtime here.
The seventh consecutive day
Washington has no seventh-consecutive-day premium and no general day-of-rest requirement for adult private-sector employees.
How often you must be paid
Washington’s floor is lower than most: wages must be paid on an established regular payday at intervals of no longer than a month. The useful half of the rule is the second half — where the pay period is shorter than a month, the regular payday must be no later than ten calendar days after the end of that pay period. So a weekly or biweekly employer cannot hold the money for an extra fortnight.
When your last paycheck is due
This is the question people search for most, and in several states the answer depends on whether you left or were let go. In Washington:
- If you were fired or laid off: At the end of the established pay period — in practice, the next regular payday.
- If you quit: At the end of the established pay period — in practice, the next regular payday.
Washington uses one rule for both. When an employee ceases to work for an employer, whether by discharge or by voluntary withdrawal, the wages due on account of that employment must be paid at the end of the established pay period. The Department of Labor & Industries states it plainly for workers: the final paycheck must be paid on or before the next regularly scheduled payday.
Meal and rest breaks
A meal period of at least thirty minutes is required when a shift runs more than five hours, and it must begin no less than two hours and no more than five hours from the start of the shift. An employee who works three or more hours past a scheduled shift gets an additional thirty-minute meal period. The meal is unpaid only if you are completely relieved of duty; if you are required to stay on duty, stay on the premises on call, or are called back to work during it, it is paid. Meal periods may be waived by agreement between employee and employer.
A paid rest period of at least ten minutes is required for every four hours worked, scheduled as near as possible to the midpoint of the work period, and no employee may be required to work more than three hours without one. Rest breaks count as hours worked for overtime and paid sick leave, and — unlike meal periods — they cannot be waived.
The Washington minimum wage
Washington’s minimum wage is $17.13 an hour from 1 January 2026, the highest statewide rate in the country. It is recalculated every year against the Consumer Price Index and announced around the end of September for the following January. Employees aged fourteen and fifteen may be paid 85 per cent of the rate. Several Washington cities, including Seattle, SeaTac and Tukwila, set higher local minimums, so check your city as well as the state.
Figure checked 26 July 2026, effective 1 January 2026. Minimum wages move on a schedule and local ordinances move on their own — if you are reading this well after that date, check the agency link below before relying on the number.
If you have not been paid
Complaints go to L&I online, by post on form F700-148-000, in person at an L&I office, or by phone. You can file even if you no longer work for the employer, and the process is free.
Deadline: Three years from when the violation occurred for a wage-payment complaint; 180 days for a retaliation complaint.
Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
What this page does not cover
- Whether the rules apply to you at all. Overtime and break rules apply to non-exempt employees. If you are genuinely exempt, or an independent contractor, most of this page is not about you — and misclassification is common enough that being called exempt is not the same as being exempt.
- Local ordinances. Cities and counties set their own minimum wages, paid sick leave and, in some places, scheduling rules. Only the state-level position is described here.
- Industry-specific rules. Agriculture, transport, health care, public employment and several other sectors carry their own wage orders and exemptions that override the general position.
- Your contract or union agreement, which can promise more than the law requires — never less.
- This is not legal advice. It is a cited summary of published law, written to be checked. The agency above answers questions for free.
Common questions
Does Washington have daily overtime?
No. Washington counts overtime weekly, over forty hours in a workweek. Only California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado have a daily threshold.
When is my final paycheck due in Washington?
At the end of the established pay period — in practice, on or before the next regularly scheduled payday. The rule is the same whether you quit or were discharged.
Can I skip my rest break in Washington to leave early?
No. Washington rest breaks cannot be waived by agreement, unlike meal periods, which can. Rest breaks are paid and count as hours worked, so skipping them does not shorten your day on paper.
Do I have to be paid for my lunch break in Washington?
Only if you are not fully relieved of duty. A meal period is unpaid when you are free from work duties for the whole of it; if you are required to stay on duty, remain on the premises on call, or are called back during it, it is paid time.
What is the minimum wage in Washington in 2026?
Seventeen dollars thirteen an hour from 1 January 2026, the highest statewide minimum in the country. It is adjusted for inflation each year and announced at the end of September for the following January.