Employers should adhere to their own policies. According to Sec. 31-76k of the Connecticut General Statutes, if an employer’s policy or a collective bargaining agreement provides for vacation time or other earned leave, and an employee is terminated without using the accrued paid time off, the employee should be compensated in the form of wages. The terms of the employer’s policies should be followed for the payment of wages, but the employee must earn at least the average rate for the accrual period.
Connecticut Labor Laws
Connecticut Minimum Wage
Effective August 1, 2021, the minimum wage in Connecticut is $13 per hour.
Be aware: If the federal minimum wage, currently $7.25 per hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), is increased to match or exceed the Connecticut rate, the state minimum wage will automatically rise to 0.5% above the federal rate.
According to HB 5004, which became law and took effect in 2019, certain employees under the age of 18 (excluding emancipated minors) can be paid less than the state minimum wage for the first 90 days of employment. The rate must be the greater of:
- At least 85% of the minimum wage, or
- $10.10 per hour.
Connecticut Labor Law Posters
Simplify labor law compliance and make workplace policies visible with J. J. Keller state and federal labor law posters.
History of Connecticut Labor Laws
The Connecticut minimum wage increased from $10.10 per hour to $11 per hour on October 1, 2019.
The rate will continue to rise, reaching $15 per hour according to the following schedule:
- September 1, 2020 – $12 per hour
- August 1, 2021 – $13 per hour
- July 1, 2022 – $14 per hour
- June 1, 2023 – $15 per hour
Additionally, starting January 1, 2024, the minimum wage rate will be indexed to the employment cost index.
Municipality Minimum Wage Laws
Although Connecticut law allows cities to set their own minimum wage rates, no city in the state has chosen to do so.
Connecticut Minimum Wage Exemptions
The Connecticut minimum wage requirements do not apply to individuals employed in the following situations:
- At camps or resorts open no more than six months a year
- In domestic service in or around a private home, except as defined by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act regulations
- In a bona fide executive, administrative, or professional capacity
- By the federal government
- As volunteers for certain nonprofits
- As head residents or resident assistants at colleges or universities
- As babysitters
- In outside sales, as defined by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act regulations
- By nonprofit theaters that operate for no more than seven months in any calendar year
- As members of the state armed forces performing military duty
Connecticut Posting Requirements
Required posters:
- Minimum Wage
- Sexual Harassment
- Fair Employment
- Workers' Compensation
- Healthcare Advocate (For employers without a self-funded health plan)
- Paid Sick Leave
- Electronic Monitoring
- Pregnancy Discrimination and Accommodation
- Unemployment Insurance (Must be obtained by the state)
- Notice for the Employment of Minors in the Mercantile/Retail Trades (Industry Specific)
- Notice for the Employment of Minors in Restaurants/Food Service (Industry Specific)
- Wage Order for Mercantile Trade (Industry Specific)
- Wage Order for Restaurants and Hotels (Industry Specific)
Tipped Wage in Connecticut
According to the 2019 legislation HB 5004, the tipped wage in Connecticut is set as follows:
- $6.38 per hour for employees (excluding bartenders) in the hotel and restaurant industry
- $8.23 per hour for bartenders
Employers can claim a tip credit for the difference between the tipped wage and the minimum wage, which is $4.62 for non-bartenders and $2.77 for bartenders. However, if employees do not earn enough in tips to meet the minimum wage, employers must make up the difference.
To qualify as a tipped employee, the worker must “customarily and regularly” receive gratuities.
Overtime Wage in Connecticut
Employers must pay overtime at a rate of one-and-a-half times the regular rate of pay after an employee works 40 hours in a workweek.
For restaurants and hotel restaurants, additional rules apply: On the seventh consecutive day of work, employers must pay one-and-a-half times the minimum wage rate.
Connecticut has several exemptions from overtime pay requirements, including:
- Agricultural employees
- Executive, administrative, and professional employees
- Automobile salespeople
- Drivers or helpers where the U.S. Secretary of Transportation has the authority to set qualifications and minimum hours of service
- Outside salespersons as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act
Child Labor Laws in Connecticut
Connecticut’s child labor laws are industry-specific and apply to individuals under 18 who are enrolled in and haven’t graduated from a secondary institution.
Restaurants:
- During school weeks: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (midnight on non-school nights), six hours per day (eight hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 32 hours per week.
- During non-school weeks: eight hours per day, six days per week.
Recreational, Amusement, and Theater:
- During school weeks: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. (midnight on non-school nights), six hours per day (eight hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 32 hours per week.
- During non-school weeks: eight hours per day, six days per week.
Manufacturing and Mechanical:
- During school weeks: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on non-school nights), six hours per day (eight hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 32 hours per week.
- During non-school weeks: eight hours per day, six days per week.
Retail/Mercantile:
- During school weeks: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. (11 p.m. on non-school nights; midnight in supermarkets over 3,500 square feet on non-school nights), six hours per day (eight hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 32 hours per week.
- During non-school weeks: eight hours per day, six days per week.
Hairdressing, Bowling Alley, Pool Hall, or Photography Gallery:
- During school weeks: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., six hours per day (eight hours on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), 32 hours per week.
- During non-school weeks: eight hours per day, six days per week.
For individuals under 18 who are not enrolled in and haven’t graduated from a secondary institution, the following limits apply:
Retail/Mercantile:
- Eight hours per day, six days per week.
Other Industries:
- Nine hours per day, six days per week, 48 hours per week.
Employer Recordkeeping Requirements in Connecticut
Records containing the following information must be maintained for three years:
- Name
- Home address
- Occupation
- Total daily and weekly hours worked, showing the beginning and ending time of each work period, computed to the nearest 15 minutes
- Total hourly, daily, or weekly basic wage
- Overtime wage as a separate item
- Additions and deductions from wages each pay period
- Total wages paid each pay period
- Working certificates for employees aged 16, 17, or 18 years old
Connecticut Labor Law Questions & Answers
Yes, small businesses in Connecticut are subject to the minimum wage rate, which is currently $11 per hour.
The rules vary according to industry and schooling situation, but for many minors under age 18, the daily limit is six hours during school weeks and eight hours during non-school weeks and on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Employers in Connecticut can require employees to work overtime. Any employee who works more than 40 hours in a workweek must be paid one-and-a-half times the regular rate of pay, as required by federal law.
Yes, the Connecticut Department of Labor regulations state that an employee working seven-and-a-half consecutive hours must be given a meal break. This break should occur sometime after the first two hours of work and before the last two hours of work.
Connecticut Labor Law Posters
Simplify labor law compliance and make workplace policies visible with J. J. Keller state and federal labor law posters.