Minimum Wage: Federal vs State, Exceptions

Breaks and meal periods are not required for adult employees under Georgia minimum wage around the us law. Employers are not obligated to provide rest or meal breaks unless specified by company policy or a union agreement. However, federal law requires compensation for rest breaks lasting 20 minutes or less. Meal breaks lasting 30 minutes or more can be unpaid, provided employees are completely relieved of work duties during the break.

Ultimate Guide to Georgia Minimum Wage Laws & Regulations

The amount set is a minimum wage, so it income summary can be exceeded by a collective agreement or individual agreement with the company. The revision of the SMI does not affect the structure or amount of professional salaries being paid to workers when they are superior to the established minimum wage. A century after those early reforms, some critics argue that minimum wage is still unfairly low. Others say that minimum wage is actually to blame for economic problems like inflation, high prices and even unemployment. This applies to employees who earn more than $30 in tips per month.

Calculation Results:

You may also file your own lawsuit (which may require you to hire an attorney). There is also a special Student Learner Program for high school students at least 16 years old who are enrolled in vocational education (shop courses). It allows your employer to get a certificate from the Department of Labor authorizing an employer to pay you 75% of the minimum wage (currently $5.44) while you are enrolled in the vocational education program. Congress must pass a bill which the President signs into law in order for the minimum wage to go up.

• After tips are added in, however, no employee can make less than the standard minimum wage.
• The employer is expected to compensate the employee for the shortfall if the employee’s total tips and hourly rate fall below the minimum wage.
• The New Hampshire minimum wage equals the federal minimum wage when set below the federal rate.
• The minimum wage increased regularly in the period from 2000 to 2007 and reached €8.65 per hour in July 2007.
• The determining factor is the nature of the work performed by the enterprise and the employee.
• The Virginia minimum wage is adjusted annually based on a set formula.

Overview of Georgia’s Minimum Wage Requirements

• Tipped employees, including servers and bartenders, operate under a separate wage framework.
• According to the FLSA, an employer can pay a youth worker as little as $4.25 an hour for the first 90 consecutive days of employment, after which the regular minimum wage applies.
• They could be based on figures like the median or average income to calculate benchmarks which then determine the lowest amount an employer can legally pay a worker.
• Cities may also occasionally set different minimums for different types of workers.
• The national minimum wage was introduced in the Republic of Ireland in April 2000.
• In 2007, the federal minimum rose to $5.85 per hour, increasing again to $6.55 in 2008 and finally reaching $7.25 in 2009, where it has remained ever since.

This is a list of the minimum wages (per hour) in each state and territory of the United States, for jobs covered by federal minimum wage laws. Where an employee is subject to both the state and federal minimum wage laws, or federal, state, and city minimum wage laws, the employee is entitled to higher of the minimum wages. If you are not covered by the federal minimum wage laws, that does not mean that you are also exempt from your state minimum wage requirements.

Food prep and service workers are most likely to earn the minimum wage

If you have to travel to take a training program or seminar offsite, your travel time must be paid as well. Coverage Under the Fair Labor Standards Act Fact SheetGeneral information about who is covered by the FLSA. If it doesn’t pass, some https://www.bookstime.com/ in Congress have indicated they would favor a wage hike that’s not as steep as the proposed $15. Let us help you with your credit card debt so that you can budget more money toward your student loan payments.

• It rose to $5.85, $6.55, and then finally to $7.25, where it stands in 2025.
• A small change in the price for low-wage labor could have a large effect on employer demand, they say, leading to increasing unemployment among low-wage workers.
• Some of the states have complex structures for who gets paid what and how the wage increases annually, and 15 states have areas with different minimum wages.
• Interestingly, the federal government has a very broad definition of what qualifies as interstate commerce.
• The Department of Labor has released a letter clarifying this subject that provides several scenarios which may be helpful.

A minimum wage of $4.25 per hour applies to young workers under the age of 20 during their first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment with an employer, as long as their work does not displace other workers. After 90 consecutive days of employment or after the employee reaches 20 years of age, whichever comes first, the employee must receive a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. If you are over 20 years of age and are required to attend a training program for work, you must be paid for that time. Even though the benefits of a living wage are clear and the concept aligns with international human rights law and standards, states continue to fail to make it a requirement within their national employment laws. Without these national requirements, it is almost impossible to stop employers from paying people a wage that puts them below the poverty line.