Breaks and meal periods - Kentucky

Summary of differences between federal and state regulations

Breaks

Federal law does not require that employers provide rest periods or coffee/snack breaks. However, when employers do offer short breaks, usually lasting between five to 20 minutes, the breaks must be considered work time and employees are paid for the time.

Kentucky statutes provide for a break of at least ten minutes during every four hours worked.

Meal periods

Federal law does not require that employers provide meal periods .Bona fide meal periods, which typically last between 30 and 60 minutes, serve a different purpose than a break. During meal periods, the employee must be completely relieved from duty. Bona fide meal periods are not considered work time and are not compensable. If an employee is not totally relieved of job duties during the time he or she is eating a meal, then the employee must be paid for that time. 

Kentucky statues require that employees receive a reasonable period for lunch. The lunch time should be as close to the middle of the work shift as possible.

State

Contact

Kentucky Labor Cabinet; Division of Employment Standards Apprenticeship and Training

Regulations

Kentucky Revised Statutes - Chapter 337.00

§337.365 Rest periods for employees.

No employer shall require any employee to work without a rest period of at least ten (10) minutes during each four (4) hours worked, except those employees who are under the Federal Railway Labor Act. This shall be in addition to the regularly scheduled lunch period. No reduction in compensation shall be made for hourly or salaried employees.

§337.355 Lunch period requirements.

Employers, except those subject to the Federal Railway Labor Act, shall grant their employees a reasonable period for lunch, and such time shall be as close to the middle of the employee's scheduled work shift as possible. In no case shall an employee be required to take a lunch period sooner than three (3) hours after his work shift commences, nor more than five (5) hours from the time his work shift commences. This section shall not be construed to negate any provision of a collective bargaining agreement or mutual agreement between the employee and employer.

Federal

Contact

The US Department of Labor is the federal agency that monitors hours worked.

Regulations

U.S. labor regulations for hours worked can be found in CFR 29: Part 785 Rest Periods and Meal Periods.