The Connecticut Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally required to pay nonexempt employees. The federal minimum wage establishes a baseline, but states may adopt higher wages.

As of January 1, 2026, Connecticut’s minimum wage is $16.94 per hour.

Connecticut sets a statewide minimum wage, and local cities and municipalities do not establish separate or higher minimum wage rates.

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Effective January 1, 2026, Connecticut requires employers to pay:

• $6.38 per hour to most tipped restaurant and hotel service employees; and

• $8.23 per hour to most tipped bartender employees.

These wages represent the base cash wage for tipped workers — not the full minimum wage. Connecticut law allows employers to pay these lower base rates only if the employee’s tips plus base wage equal at least the $16.94 per hour minimum wage effective Jan. 1, 2026. If an employee’s tips plus cash wage do not reach at least $16.94 per hour, the employer must pay the difference so that the employee’s total earnings equal at least the full minimum wage.

Non-exempt employees receive overtime pay at one and one-half (1.5) times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek.

Connecticut law generally requires employers to provide nonexempt employees with a meal period during longer work shifts. Employers must comply unless a statutory exemption applies.

Meal Period Requirement

• Employees who work 7½ or more consecutive hours must be provided a 30-minute meal period.

• The meal period must occur:

  • After the first two hours of work, and

  • Before the last two hours of work.

• Meal periods do not need to be paid, provided the employee is fully relieved of all duties.

When the Requirement Does Not Apply

Employers are not required to provide a meal period if either of the following applies:

• The employer provides at least 30 minutes of paid rest or meal time during each 7½-hour work period; or

• A statutory exemption applies (see below).

Statutory Exemptions

The meal period requirement does not apply in the following circumstances:

• Compliance would be adverse to public safety;

• The duties of the position can only be performed by one employee;

• Fewer than five employees are working on the shift at a single location (this exemption applies only to employees on that shift); or

• The employer’s operations require employees to be available to respond to urgent or unusual conditions, and the employees are paid for the meal period.

Industry-Specific Rule (Hotels & Restaurants)

For hotel and restaurant employees, unpaid meal periods are permitted only if:

• The employee is completely relieved of all duties;

• The employee is free to leave the premises; and

• The start and end times of the meal period are recorded.

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Vacation leave (PTO)

Connecticut does not require private employers to provide paid or unpaid vacation (PTO). If an employer offers vacation, the employer’s written policy and/or an applicable employment agreement or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) controls eligibility, accrual, and carryover.

Vacation payout on separation: Employers are not required to pay out unused, accrued vacation at separation unless the employer’s policy or a CBA provides otherwise.

Notice requirement: Employers must provide written or posted notice of policies/practices concerning vacation pay.

Paid Sick and Safe Leave (Statewide)

Effective January 1, 2026, Connecticut’s paid sick leave law applies to employers with 11 or more employees in the state.

Eligible employees: All employees, except limited excluded categories (including seasonal employees who work 120 days or less per year and certain union construction workers).

Accrual rate: 1 hour of paid leave for every 30 hours worked.

Accrual/usage cap: Up to 40 hours per benefit year.

Carryover: Up to 40 hours may carry over to the next benefit year (carryover not required if the employer frontloads the full annual amount at the beginning of the year).

When employees can use leave: On or after the 120th day of employment.

Payout on separation: Not required unless required by employer policy or a CBA.

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Connecticut child labor laws vary based on a minor’s age, school status, and industry. In general, minors under 18 may not work in hazardous occupations, subject to limited apprenticeship and work-study exceptions.

Under 16 (General Rule)

Minors under 16 generally may not work in the following industries (with limited work-study or summer program exceptions):

• Manufacturing or mechanical establishments

• Mercantile establishments

• Theatrical occupations

• Restaurants or public dining rooms

• Bowling alleys

• Shoe-shining establishments

• Barbershops

Age 14 (Limited Exception)

Minors who are at least 14 years old may work:

• As a caddie, or

• In a pro shop at a golf course

Employer requirement: The employer must obtain a certificate under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 10-193 confirming the minor is at least 14 years old.

Age 15 (Limited Jobs + Strict Conditions)

Minors who are at least 15 years old may work:

• In a mercantile establishment as a bagger, cashier, or stock clerk;

• As a staff member at a youth camp; or

• As a lifeguard

Only if all of the following conditions are met:

• Work occurs only during school vacation when school is not in session for at least five consecutive days

  • Exception: Minors working in retail food stores may work on Saturdays during the school year

• No more than 40 hours per week

• No more than 8 hours per day

• Work is performed only between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

  • May work until 9:00 p.m. from July 1 through the first Monday in September

Age certificate: Employers generally must obtain an age certificate (and, for these roles, a certificate under § 10-193), subject to limited municipal exceptions for certain youth-camp and lifeguard positions.

Ages 16–17

Night Work Restrictions

For minors who have not graduated from secondary school:

• May not work in manufacturing, mechanical, or mercantile establishments between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.

• Exception: On nights not preceding a regularly scheduled school day, minors may work:

  • Until 11:00 p.m. in manufacturing, mechanical, or mercantile establishments; and

  • Until 12:00 a.m. in a supermarket

Daily and Weekly Hour Limits

For minors not enrolled in and not graduated from secondary school:

• Manufacturing/Mechanical: Up to 9 hours per day and 48 hours per week

• Mercantile: Up to 8 hours per day, 6 days per week, and 48 hours per week

Hiring

Anti-Discrimination

Connecticut’s Fair Employment Practices Act (CFEPA) prohibits employers from discriminating in hiring decisions. The law is enforced by the Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (CHRO) and applies to all employers with one or more employees.

Employers may not refuse to hire, set unequal hiring terms, or otherwise discriminate against an applicant because of membership in a protected class, unless a bona fide occupational qualification applies.

Protected characteristics include:

• Age

• Ancestry

• Color

• Race (including ethnic traits historically associated with race, such as hair texture and protective hairstyles)

• National origin

• Sex

• Sexual orientation

• Gender identity or expression

• Pregnancy

• Marital or civil union status

• Religion (religious creed)

• Physical disability (including blindness)

• Mental disability (present or past history)

• Learning disability

• Intellectual disability

• Genetic information

• Veteran status

• Status as a victim of domestic violence

• Victims of sexual assault and human trafficking

Job Application Restrictions

On an initial job application, employers may not request:

• An applicant’s age

• Date of birth

• Dates of school attendance or graduation

Firing

At-Will Employment

Connecticut is an at-will employment state. Employers may generally terminate employees at any time and for any lawful reason, or for no reason at all.

Limits on Termination

An employer may not terminate an employee for reasons that are:

• Discriminatory under the CFEPA

• Retaliatory (including retaliation for opposing discrimination, filing a complaint, or participating in an investigation)

• Otherwise unlawful under state or federal law (such as whistleblower protections, wage-and-hour laws, workers’ compensation protections, or protected leave laws)

Supervisors and managers may be held individually liable for aiding, abetting, or coercing discriminatory employment practices.