The rule
| Michigan | |
|---|---|
| Meal break for adults | Not required by Michigan or federal law |
| Rest break for adults | Not required by Michigan or federal law |
| If you give short breaks | Breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes count as hours worked and must be paid |
| If you give a meal break | A meal period of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid only if the employee is completely relieved of duty |
| Minors | Employees under 18 may not work more than five hours without a documented 30-minute uninterrupted break; daily time records must show the shift start, shift end, and the break (Youth Employment Standards Act) |
What the federal rule requires
Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. What it does regulate is pay when an employer chooses to give them.
Short breaks, usually 5 to 20 minutes, count as hours worked. They go into the weekly total and can push an employee over 40 hours into overtime. A bona fide meal period, typically 30 minutes or more, does not count as work time, but only if the employee is completely relieved from duty. Someone who eats at the register while answering questions has not been relieved, and that time is paid.
Michigan's rule for minors
Michigan's Wage and Hour Division answers the adult question in one sentence: there are no requirements for breaks, meal or rest periods for employees 18 years of age or older. The rule for minors is specific and includes a recordkeeping duty. Workers under 18 may not work more than five hours without a documented 30-minute uninterrupted break, and the daily time record should show the start and end of the shift as well as the break itself.
Worked example: a 25-person grocery store
The store gives adults a 15-minute paid break and a 30-minute unpaid lunch on 8-hour shifts, and employs several 16 and 17 year olds after school and on weekends.
- The adult breaks are policy, not law. The 15 minutes are paid and count toward 40 hours; the lunch is unpaid only when the employee is fully relieved.
- A 17 year old scheduled 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday must take a 30-minute uninterrupted break before completing five hours, so by 3 p.m., and the time record must show the break's start and end.
- A 16 year old scheduled 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (4.5 hours) does not reach five hours, so no break is required by the act that day.
How to track it
Because Michigan does not require breaks, the compliance question is a pay question: are short breaks being paid, and is unpaid meal time actually work-free? Both depend on the time clock capturing the break as its own event rather than a guessed deduction.
Set the unpaid meal break as a clocked break, so the 30 minutes only come off the timesheet when the employee actually punches out for it. Leave short rest breaks on the clock so they stay paid and count toward the 40-hour overtime line. If a written break policy says 30 minutes but the punches show 18, pay the 18 as work time and fix the schedule, not the record.
For minors, the documentation requirement is the rule. A time clock that records the break as its own punch, with the shift start and end, produces the daily record Michigan asks for without a separate log.
Michigan meal and rest breaks FAQ
Does Michigan require a lunch break for adults?
No. Michigan's Wage and Hour Division states there are no requirements for breaks, meal periods, or rest periods for employees 18 and older. Breaks are set by employer policy.
What breaks do minors get in Michigan?
Employees under 18 may not work more than five hours without a documented 30-minute uninterrupted break. The daily time record must show the shift start, shift end, and the break.
Do short breaks have to be paid in Michigan?
Yes, under federal law. Breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes count as hours worked, must be paid, and count toward the 40-hour overtime threshold.
Can I auto-deduct 30 minutes for lunch?
Only if the employee actually took a duty-free meal period of at least 30 minutes. If they worked through it, the deduction becomes unpaid wages. For minors, an auto-deduction also fails the documentation requirement.
Related pages
Sources, checked September 9, 2026
- Michigan LEO: Breaks, meal and rest periods FAQ
- U.S. Department of Labor: Breaks and meal periods
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #22: Hours worked under the FLSA
This is general information, not legal advice. Rules change; check the linked source.