Washington Labor Laws: An Employer's Overview
Washington (WA) · Labor law overview · Last reviewed September 2026
Overtime
Weekly (40 hr)
Minimum wage
Above federal
Meal breaks
Required
Overtime
Washington follows the federal rule: time-and-a-half after 40 hours in a workweek, with no separate daily-overtime requirement.
Minimum Wage
Washington sets a minimum wage above the federal $7.25 and updates it periodically, confirm the current figure before running payroll.
Breaks
Washington requires meal breaks for longer shifts and paid rest breaks.
Paid Sick Leave & Final Pay
Washington mandates paid sick leave. Final-paycheck timing is state-specific, see the dedicated guides linked below for details, and always confirm against the official source.
Washington Labor-Law Snapshot
A quick Washington snapshot: the minimum wage is $17.13/hour (about $9.88 above the federal $7.25) (higher in Seattle), overtime is about $25.70/hour, Washington mandates paid sick leave (typically ~1 hour earned per 30 worked), and a final paycheck is due by the next regular payday on discharge.
For Washington employers these rules interact with timekeeping: accurate, audit-logged hours drive overtime, sick-leave accrual, final pay, and break records. Washington requires meal breaks on longer shifts and requires paid rest breaks; a final paycheck is due by the next regular payday when an employee resigns. Confirm current Washington figures with the state labor office before relying on any single number.
What Washington Employers Should Keep on File
Federal law requires employers to keep payroll records for at least three years, and the records used to calculate pay, such as time cards and work schedules, for at least two. Several states require longer. The practical standard is simple: if a former employee filed a claim tomorrow, could you evidence every hour you paid and every hour you did not?
The records that matter are the daily start and end times, the total hours for each workweek, the regular rate and any premium, all additions and deductions, and the pay period the payment covers. Keeping the underlying punches matters more than keeping the summary, because a total nobody can trace back is not evidence.
Where the record is missing or unreliable, the employee's reasonable recollection is generally accepted, and the employer carries the burden of disproving it. That is the single strongest argument for an automatic time clock over a paper sheet reconstructed at the end of the week.
How Washington Compares with the States Next Door
Washington borders 2 states, and goes beyond the federal floor here. Oregon sets a minimum above the federal $7.25; Idaho sits at the federal $7.25.
Minimum wage across the line: Idaho $7.25, Oregon $15.55. Washington is at $17.13.
If you employ people on both sides of the Washington border, the stricter of the two states usually governs each worker, based on where the work is actually performed rather than where your business is registered.
Free calculators for this
Time Card Calculator
Add up a week of clock-in and clock-out times, minus unpaid breaks, in decimal hours.
Overtime Pay Calculator
Time-and-a-half and double-time from an hourly rate and the hours worked.
PTO Calculator
Paid time off accrual, by hours worked or from an annual award.
All of them run in your browser, with no signup. See all nine calculators.
Official Sources
More Washington Guides
Labor Law Overview in Other States
Washington Labor Law Overview: Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main labor laws employers should know in Washington?
The essentials are overtime (federal 40-hour weekly), minimum wage (a state rate above federal), and breaks (meal breaks are required).
Track Washington Hours the Easy Way
Kloqk is a free time clock that handles overtime, breaks, and payroll-ready reports.
Start free