Meal & Rest Break Laws in Tennessee
Tennessee (TN) · Meal & break laws · Last reviewed July 2026
Meal break
Required
Paid rest break
No state mandate
Federal rule
Short breaks paid
Is There a Federal Break Law?
Federal law does not require employers to provide meal or rest breaks. It only says that if you offer short breaks (usually 5–20 minutes), those must be paid, while bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more — where the employee is fully relieved of duty — can be unpaid. Everything beyond that is set by the state.
Meal Breaks in Tennessee
Tennessee requires employers to provide a meal period for shifts over a set length (commonly a 30-minute unpaid meal once an employee works more than five or six hours). Confirm the exact trigger and length with the state labor office, and keep records showing the break was provided.
Rest Breaks in Tennessee
Tennessee does not mandate separate paid rest breaks for adults. Short breaks you do offer must still be paid under federal rules.
Documenting Breaks
Whether or not breaks are required, the strongest protection is a clear record. A time clock that captures break and lunch punches — and lets employees confirm their breaks were provided — gives you the documentation that resolves most disputes.
Tennessee Labor-Law Snapshot
Tennessee requires meal breaks on longer shifts and does not mandate paid rest breaks. The Tennessee minimum wage is $7.25/hour (the federal floor), and unpaid break time interacts with the roughly $10.88/hour overtime rate on long shifts.
For Tennessee employers these rules interact with timekeeping: accurate, audit-logged hours drive overtime, final pay, and break records. Tennessee requires meal breaks on longer shifts and does not mandate paid rest breaks; a final paycheck is due by the next regular payday or within 21 days, whichever is later when an employee resigns. Confirm current Tennessee figures with the state labor office before relying on any single number.
Official Sources
More Tennessee Guides
Meal & Break Laws in Other States
Tennessee Meal & Break Laws: Frequently Asked Questions
Are lunch breaks required by law in Tennessee?
Yes — Tennessee requires a meal period for longer shifts, commonly a 30-minute unpaid break once an employee works more than five or six hours.
Are rest breaks paid in Tennessee?
Tennessee has no separate paid-rest-break mandate, but any short break you do offer must be paid under federal rules.
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