NH · state labor law, 2026
New Hampshire labor laws: minimum wage, overtime, leave, final pay and breaks
No state rate above the federal floor, but a paid family and medical leave plan that employers and workers can choose to buy.
New Hampshire and federal rules checked on official sources on · Checked by Radif Partners · How we calculate
- Minimum wage now
- $7.25/h
- federal floor applies
- Next change
- none announced
- checked October 11, 2026
- Tipped cash wage
- $3.27/h
- tips must make up the rest
- Overtime
- 40 h/week
- state law
- Paid sick leave
- no state law
- employer policy
- Paid family leave
- 6 weeks
- New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave (NH PFML) - voluntary plan
New Hampshire's minimum wage is $7.25 an hour in 2026 because state law simply points to the federal figure, and no change is scheduled. A 40-hour job at that rate pays $15,080 a year. Tipped restaurant and hotel staff who receive more than $30 a month in tips may be paid a base of 45 percent of the minimum, with tips covering the rest. Overtime is time and a half after 40 hours a week. The state's distinctive program is NH Paid Family and Medical Leave, a voluntary insurance plan: when an employer offers it, or a worker buys the individual policy, it replaces 60% of average weekly wages for up to 6 weeks a year. There is no paid sick leave law. Adults get a 30-minute eating period after 5 consecutive hours, a fired worker is owed final wages within 72 hours, and a worker called in must be paid for at least 2 hours.
Gross pay for this week in New Hampshire
$290
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week
| Minimum wage in New Hampshire now | $7.25 an hour (federal floor) |
| Your rate against it | At or above the minimum |
| Overtime: none this week | $0 |
| Paid sick leave earned in a year | No statewide paid sick leave law |
| Breaks owed in a 8-hour shift | 30 min meal |
| Final paycheck if fired | within 72 hours of termination |
| Unused vacation at the end | Paid out if the employer policy or contract says so |
| Paid family leave | New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave (NH PFML) - voluntary plan, up to 6 weeks |
40 hours a week at $7.25. State rule applied. Minimum wage, overtime and leave rules have exceptions by employer size and industry. How this is calculated.
Paid leave you opt into
NH PFML, the nation's first voluntary paid family and medical leave plan, is insurance rather than a mandate: coverage exists only if your employer buys a group plan or you buy an individual plan yourself, and state law caps the individual premium at $5 a week. Benefits have been payable since January 1, 2023. A covered worker receives 60% of average weekly wages, up to the Social Security wage cap, for up to 6 weeks a year, and the same policy covers family care and the worker's own health condition. Some employer group plans offer 12 weeks.
The math is simple. Someone averaging $1,100 a week would receive about $660 a week, or $3,960 over the full 6 weeks. Without coverage, the only leave guarantee is the unpaid federal FMLA, which requires 1,250 hours of work in the past year at an employer with 50 or more employees within 75 miles. Ask HR whether a group plan exists before you need it, since a policy has to be in place first.
Paid family leave in your state
New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave (NH PFML) - voluntary plan
Up to 6 weeks
| Weeks payable from your plan | 6 |
Your benefit is a share of your own wages, up to the maximum.
The federal floor and the tipped base
New Hampshire has no number of its own in its wage statute: it requires the rate in the federal law, currently $7.25. Only a federal increase would change it. For tipped employees of restaurants, hotels, motels, inns and cabins, the base is 45 percent of that minimum, paid to workers who receive more than $30 a month in tips. Household, domestic and farm workers, outside sales staff, summer camps for minors, newspaper carriers and golf caddies are among the groups outside the state wage law.
Overtime and the meal period
The state overtime rule mirrors the federal one, time and a half beyond 40 hours, and it applies when the FLSA does not, with an exception for seasonal businesses operating fewer than six months a year. A line cook earning $21 who works five 9-hour shifts has 5 overtime hours and a gross week of $998.
An employer cannot require more than 5 consecutive hours without a 30-minute lunch or eating period. If the job makes a break impossible, the worker must be paid while eating on the job. Short rest breaks are not required by the state, so a coffee break on an 8-hour shift is a matter of policy.
Breaks owed for your shift
Meal break
30 minutes
| Paid rest breaks | None required |
| Meal rule | 30 min after 5 h |
| Rest rule | no adult rule |
Federal law requires no breaks, but short breaks given must be paid.
Leaving or being let go
A fired employee must be paid within 72 hours. Someone who resigns is paid by the next regular payday, or within 72 hours if they gave one pay period of notice. Employers must state in writing, at hire, the rate of pay and every policy on fringe benefits, so the vacation policy you received on day one is the document to reread before your last week. The Inspection Division of the Department of Labor takes wage claims. A worker who reports at the employer's request is owed at least 2 hours of pay, even if the work runs shorter. Final paycheck deadlines in other states range from the same day to the next payday.
New Hampshire employment rules at a glance, 2026
Minimum wage schedule
| From | Who it covers | Rate | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| August 21, 2011 | Statewide | $7.25 | State law sets the minimum at the federal rate; unchanged throughout 2026 |
New Hampshire has no state rate above the federal floor, so employers covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act pay at least $7.25 an hour. No separate state rate: New Hampshire law ties its minimum to the federal minimum wage ($7.25). Exclusions include household, domestic and farm labor, outside sales, summer camps for minors, newspaper carriers, non-professional ski patrol and golf caddies. Read the New Hampshire rule.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a week. The salary test for exempt employees is the federal $684 a week. State overtime rule applies except to employees of FLSA-covered employers (who get FLSA overtime) and seasonal employees of employers operating less than six months. source
Sick leave and family leave
New Hampshire has no statewide paid sick leave law for private employers; leave depends on the employer's policy or a city ordinance. No state paid sick leave law for private employers.
New Hampshire Paid Family and Medical Leave (NH PFML) - voluntary plan: up to 6 weeks, benefits payable since January 1, 2023, 60% of average weekly wage (up to the Social Security wage cap). Included (paid family and medical leave in a single voluntary policy; employer group plans may offer 12 weeks). source
Final paycheck and unused vacation
Fired or laid off: within 72 hours of termination. Quitting: by the next regular payday; with notice: within 72 hours if the employee gave one pay period's notice. Vacation: Follows the employer's written fringe-benefit policy, which employers must give employees in writing at hire.. source vacation rule
Meal and rest breaks
Meal: 30-minute lunch or eating period after 5 consecutive hours; if not possible, the employee must be paid while eating and working. No paid rest break is required for adults. source
Unions and dismissal
New Hampshire 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.