What is the minimum wage?
In Massachusetts, the minimum wage is $12.75 per hour. This rate was updated on January 1st, 2021. The wage applies to all employees who are not otherwise exempt. In addition to the minimum wage, workers may be entitled to receive tips or gratuities that are not counted as part of their wages. Employers are not allowed to reduce their pay rate based on tips received or deduct any business expenses from an employee’s wages. All tips must be distributed to the employee that earned them. Employers are additionally required to provide workers with overtime pay for any hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek. As of January 1st, 2021, the overtime rate was increased to $19.13 per hour. Employees are further entitled to a minimum of 24 consecutive hours of rest in each workweek in addition to 11 hours of rest between workdays. Employers must also provide their workers with a 30-minute unpaid meal break if they are scheduled to work for more than 6 hours in a workday. This break must occur no later than five hours into the workday. It is important to remember that these wages and regulations may vary for workers under certain circumstances. For instance, workers who are under the age of 18 must be paid no less than the state minimum wage, but not more than $8.75 per hour. Employers must also adhere to any regulations or higher minimum wages that are mandated by the city or town they are located in.
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