CT · state labor law, 2026
Connecticut labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
Connecticut is halfway through extending paid sick leave to every workplace, and its paid leave benefit is pegged to the minimum wage itself.
Connecticut and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $16.94/h
- statewide
- Next change
- none announced
- checked October 11, 2026
- Tipped cash wage
- $6.38/h
- tips must make up the rest
- Overtime
- 40 h/week
- state law
- Paid sick leave
- 1 h per 30 h
- cap 40 h a year
- Paid family leave
- 12 weeks
- CT Paid Leave
Connecticut's paid sick leave law covers employers with 11 or more employees in the state during 2026 and reaches every employer with even one worker on January 1, 2027, the last phase of the 2024 expansion. Workers accrue one hour per 30 worked, up to 40 hours a year. The minimum wage is $16.94 an hour in 2026, indexed to the federal employment cost index, and the Labor Commissioner announces the next rate each October 15. Restaurant servers can be paid $6.38 and bartenders $8.23 plus tips. CT Paid Leave replaces most of a modest paycheck for up to 12 weeks, with a weekly cap set by law at 60 times the minimum wage, $1,016.40 at the 2026 rate. Overtime starts after 40 hours a week. Anyone working seven and a half consecutive hours is owed a 30-minute meal period, and a discharged employee must be paid by the next business day.
Gross pay for this week in Connecticut
$678
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in Connecticut now | $16.94 an hour |
| Your rate against it | At or above the minimum |
| Overtime: none this week | $0 |
| Paid sick leave earned in a year | 40 hours (cap reached) |
| Breaks owed in a 8-hour shift | 30 min meal |
| Final paycheck if fired | by the next business day after discharge |
| Unused vacation at the end | Paid out if the employer policy or contract says so |
| Paid family leave | CT Paid Leave, up to 12 weeks |
40 hours a week at $16.94. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
Sick leave, one phase from universal
Public Act 24-8 rewrote Connecticut's sick leave statute. The old version was limited to service workers; the new one applies to all employees and is being phased in by headcount: 25 or more workers in 2025, 11 or more since January 1, 2026, and any employer with at least one worker from January 1, 2027. Hours accrue at one per 30 worked, capped at 40 a year; up to 40 unused hours carry over, but use stays limited to 40 hours in a year. A new hire can start using the time on the 120th day of employment. Someone on 25 hours a week earns about 40 hours over a year. The law also lets workers use sick time for a mental health wellness day.
Sick leave you earn in a year
Hours earned in a year
40
| Rate | 1 hour per 30 hours worked |
| Cap (typical employer) | 40 hours |
| Weeks to earn one 8-hour day | 8.0 |
A paid leave benefit tied to the minimum wage
CT Paid Leave pays 95 percent of base weekly earnings up to 40 times the minimum wage, which is $677.60 in 2026, plus 60 percent of earnings above that line, and the total cannot exceed 60 times the minimum wage. Because both figures follow the hourly rate, the benefit moves every January without a separate vote. A nurse aide with base weekly earnings of $900 would receive about $777.16 a week. Leave runs up to 12 weeks in a 12-month period for a new child, a relative's or your own serious health condition, with 2 more weeks for incapacity during pregnancy. Job protection comes from the Connecticut FMLA, which reaches employers with a single employee, far below the federal threshold of 50.
Paid family leave in your state
CT Paid Leave
Up to 12 weeks
| Weeks payable from your plan | 8 |
| Maximum weekly benefit 2026 | $1,016.40 |
| Most you could receive | $8,131 |
Your benefit is a share of your own wages, up to the maximum.
The meal period rule
Connecticut sets a 30-minute meal break for anyone required to work 7.5 or more consecutive hours, placed after the first 2 hours and before the last 2. On an 8-hour shift starting at 7 a.m., the break must fall between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. The statute fixes the window, not the exact minute, so the employer picks the time inside it. No paid rest break is required for adults.
Overtime, restaurants and the seventh day
Time and a half applies after 40 hours in a workweek. A machinist earning $24 an hour who works five 9-hour days is owed 5 overtime hours, $1,140 for the week. Restaurant and hotel staff get an extra protection from their wage order: all time worked on the seventh consecutive day is paid at the premium rate. The tipped cash wages of $6.38 and $8.23 only hold when tips make up the rest of $16.94.
Leaving a job
A discharged employee is paid in full no later than the business day after the discharge. Someone who quits is paid by the next regular payday. Accrued vacation is owed at termination only if an employer policy or a union contract provides for it, so the handbook decides. Wage claims go to the Wage and Workplace Standards Division of the Department of Labor, which reviews each claim.
Connecticut employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide | $16.94 | indexed annually to the employment cost index (CGS 31-58) |
Workers covered by both laws get the higher rate. Learners, beginners and minors may be paid not less than 85% of the minimum fair wage for a limited initial period under CGS 31-58 (not separately verified for 2026 amounts). Read the Connecticut rule.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week; Restaurant and hotel wage order: premium rate for all time worked on the seventh consecutive day (DOL-79). The salary test for exempt employees is the federal $684 a week. time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek source
Sick leave and family leave
Paid sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (accrues up to 40 hours per year; up to 40 unused hours carry over but use capped at 40 h/year; usable from day 120 of employment), employers with 11+ employees in CT from 2026-01-01 (25+ in 2025); all employers (1+) from 2027-01-01. 2024 expansion (Public Act 24-8) phased in: covers all employees, not only service workers source
CT Paid Leave: up to 12 weeks, benefits payable since January 1, 2022, 95% of base weekly earnings up to 40 x the state minimum wage, plus 60% of earnings above that, capped at 60 x the minimum wage, maximum $1,016.40 a week in 2026. covered within the same 12 weeks (own serious health condition); +2 weeks for incapacity during pregnancy. Connecticut FMLA (CGS 31-51kk to 31-51qq): 12 weeks of job-protected leave per 12 months, employers with 1 or more employees source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: by the next business day after discharge. Quitting: by the next regular payday. Vacation: accrued vacation/fringe benefits must be paid at termination only if employer policy or a collective bargaining agreement provides for it. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
Meal: 30 consecutive minutes for 7.5 or more consecutive hours, after the first 2 hours and before the last 2 hours. No paid rest break is required for adults. source
Unions and dismissal
Connecticut has no right-to-work law, so a union contract may require a fee from the workers it covers. Employment is at will: either side may end it at any time, except for an illegal reason such as discrimination or retaliation, or against a contract.
Also worth knowing in Connecticut
- The minimum wage is indexed to the federal employment cost index: the Labor Commissioner announces the next year's rate every October 15, effective January 1. source
- Paid sick leave expands to every employer with at least one employee on January 1, 2027, and may also be used for a mental health wellness day. source
- Restaurant waitpersons may be paid a cash wage of $6.38 and bartenders $8.23 per hour plus tips in 2026. source