MA · state labor law, 2026
Massachusetts labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
Fired on a Tuesday, paid in full that Tuesday: Massachusetts treats earned vacation as wages and runs one of the longest paid leave programs in the country.
Massachusetts and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $15.00/h
- statewide
- Next change
- none announced
- checked October 11, 2026
- Tipped cash wage
- $6.75/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
- 26 weeks
- Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Massachusetts requires an employer that fires or lays off a worker to pay every wage owed, earned vacation included, on the last day of work, one of the strictest deadlines in the country. The minimum wage is $15.00 an hour in 2026, unchanged since January 2023, with no increase scheduled, which gives $31,200 for a full-time year. Tipped workers who receive more than $20 a month in tips may be paid a service rate of $6.75, and most farm workers have a floor of $8.00. Overtime is time and a half after 40 hours a week. Earned Sick Time accrues at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year, paid at employers with 11 or more employees. Paid Family and Medical Leave covers up to 26 weeks in a benefit year, with a 2026 maximum of $1,230.39 a week that rises to $1,284.61 in 2027.
Gross pay for this week in Massachusetts
$600
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in Massachusetts now | $15 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 | in full on the last day of work |
| Unused vacation at the end | Accrued vacation must be paid out |
| Paid family leave | Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML), up to 26 weeks |
40 hours a week at $15. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
Paid in full on your last day
Under Massachusetts law an employee who is discharged must receive full wages on the day of discharge, not at the next payroll run. Earned vacation counts as wages, so it goes into the same check. Picture a dental assistant let go with 60 unused vacation hours at $28 an hour: $1,680 of vacation pay is due that same day, along with the hours worked since the last payday. A worker who resigns waits a little longer, until the next regular payday, or the first Saturday after leaving when there is no regular payday. Employers that miss these deadlines face claims through the Fair Labor Division of the Attorney General's Office, which is the state agency for wage complaints, not a Department of Labor as in most states.
Is your unused PTO paid out?
Massachusetts: payout
Must be paid
| Value of the balance | $880 |
| When it is due | in full on the last day of work |
26 weeks of PFML in one benefit year
Paid Family and Medical Leave has paid benefits since January 1, 2021. A worker can take up to 20 weeks for a personal serious health condition, 12 weeks to bond with a child or care for a relative, and up to 26 weeks to care for a covered service member, with 26 weeks as the combined limit in a benefit year. That is more than double the 12 unpaid weeks of the federal FMLA. The weekly benefit replaces 80% of your average weekly wage up to half of the state average weekly wage, then 50% of the part above, so a lower earner keeps a larger share of pay. The ceiling is $1,230.39 a week in 2026, which makes $24,608 for 20 weeks of medical leave at the maximum, and $1,284.61 a week in 2027.
Paid family leave in your state
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML)
Up to 26 weeks
| Weeks payable from your plan | 8 |
| Maximum weekly benefit 2026 | $1,230.39 |
| Most you could receive | $9,843 |
Your benefit is a share of your own wages, up to the maximum.
A wage that stopped at $15.00
The rate reached $15.00 on January 1, 2023, and no further step is scheduled, so it has not moved since. Any further increase would have to come from the legislature or a ballot question. For a full-time worker that means the same $600 a week before taxes in 2026 as three years earlier. The service rate of $6.75 applies only when tips bring total pay to at least $15.00 an hour; if a slow night leaves the server short, the employer adds the difference.
Sick time and the lunch break
Earned Sick Time took effect on July 1, 2015 and covers every employer, paid at those with 11 or more employees and unpaid but protected at smaller ones. Someone working 35 hours a week builds up about 40 hours over a year, of which the employer has to honor true. A worker on duty more than 6 hours in a calendar day is entitled to a meal break of at least 30 minutes. The Fair Labor Division decides complaints; an employment lawyer can review an individual situation.
Massachusetts employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | Statewide | $15.00 | Unchanged since January 1, 2023; no scheduled increases |
Workers covered by both laws get the higher rate. Most agricultural workers: $8.00 per hour. Read the Massachusetts rule.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week. The salary test for exempt employees is the federal $684 a week. Time and a half after 40 hours a week. source
Sick leave and family leave
Paid sick leave: 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (Earn and use up to 40 hours a year; paid for employers with 11 or more employees, unpaid (job-protected) for smaller employers.), all employers (paid if 11 or more employees). Massachusetts Earned Sick Time law (M.G.L. c. 149, s. 148C). source
Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML): up to 26 weeks, benefits payable since January 1, 2021, 80% of the part of individual average weekly wage up to 50% of the state average weekly wage, plus 50% of the part above, up to the maximum, maximum $1,230.39 a week in 2026. Up to 20 weeks medical leave, 12 weeks family leave (26 for a covered service member), 26 weeks combined per benefit year. source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: in full on the last day of work. Quitting: on the next regular payday (or the first Saturday after quitting if there is no regular payday). Vacation: Earned vacation pay counts as wages and must be paid at separation (same day if fired).. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
Meal: At least 30 minutes if working more than 6 hours in a calendar day. No paid rest break is required for adults. source
Unions and dismissal
Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts
- PFML maximum weekly benefit rises from $1,230.39 (2026) to $1,284.61 (2027). source
- Fired employees must be paid in full on their last day, including accrued vacation; Massachusetts treats earned vacation as wages. source
- The $15.00 minimum wage has not changed since 2023; any increase now needs the legislature or a ballot question. source