State Labor Law Guide

Missouri
Labor Laws

What workers in Missouri need to know about minimum wage, overtime, breaks, and their rights when an employer has not paid them fairly.

MO MISSOURI
$15.00
Minimum Wage
$22.50
Overtime Rate
No
Mandated Breaks
3 Years
Claim Deadline
RSMo 290
Governing Law

Minimum Wage $15.00 / HR

As of January 1, 2026, the minimum wage in Missouri is $15.00 per hour, up from $13.75 and more than double the federal rate of $7.25. Missouri voters approved that increase through Proposition A in November 2024. The legislature later revised the law, but the $15.00 figure survived and took effect on schedule.

Tipped employees must be paid a cash wage of at least half the minimum wage, which comes to $7.50 per hour. That cash wage plus tips must equal at least $15.00 per hour. When it does not, the employer is required to make up the difference. Missouri law prevents cities from setting a higher rate, so $15.00 applies from St. Louis to Kansas City to the Bootheel.

A gap worth knowing about: Retail or service businesses with annual gross income under $500,000 are exempt from Missouri's minimum wage law. Federal law may still cover those workers at $7.25, so the exemption is from the state rate, not from wage law altogether.

What Changed in 2025 NO MORE CPI INCREASES

Missouri's wage law went through significant change recently, and there is a lot of outdated information circulating as a result. Here is where things actually stand. Proposition A passed in November 2024 and did three things: it raised the minimum wage to $13.75 in 2025 and $15.00 in 2026, tied future increases to inflation starting in 2027, and created a statewide paid sick leave requirement.

In July 2025, the governor signed House Bill 567, which took effect August 28, 2025. It kept the $15.00 rate but removed the inflation adjustments that were scheduled to begin in 2027, and repealed the paid sick leave requirement. It also extended the minimum wage law to public employers for the first time, including cities, counties, and school districts.

What that means going forward: $15.00 is now a fixed number. It will not rise on its own in 2027 or any year after. Changing it would take new legislation or another ballot measure.

Overtime Laws 1.5X RATE

Missouri has its own overtime law that tracks the FLSA. Employees must be paid one and a half times their regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek. At the state minimum wage, that comes to $22.50 per hour.

Overtime is calculated on a weekly basis and there is no daily overtime trigger. Working long hours on a single day does not trigger overtime unless total hours for the entire week exceed 40. Your regular rate is not just your base hourly wage: nondiscretionary bonuses and commissions have to be factored in when calculating what your overtime is worth.

Exempt employees, those classified as executive, administrative, or professional under the FLSA, are not entitled to overtime. That classification depends on actual job duties and salary level, not job title alone.

Meal & Rest Breaks No mandated breaks

Most states, including Missouri, follow the FLSA which does not mandate breaks for adults. Many Missouri employers offer a lunch break by custom, but that is company policy, not a legal requirement.

When an employer does provide a short break of 20 minutes or less, federal law generally requires that time to be paid. A meal period of 30 minutes or more is typically unpaid, provided the employee is fully relieved of duties for the entire period.

Watch the auto-deduct: An employer that automatically deducts a 30-minute lunch you worked through still owes you that time. At $15.00 an hour, a deducted break that you actually worked adds up quickly across a year.

Filing a Claim 3 YEARS WINDOW

Missouri gives workers three years to bring an action for a deficiency in wages under state law, which is longer than the federal window. Workers can also bring a claim under the FLSA, which allows two years, or three when the employer's violation was willful. Many Missouri workers have both kinds of claim, and they can be pursued together.

Claims can be filed with the Missouri Division of Labor Standards or brought directly in court. Missouri law expressly says an employee may bring any legal action necessary to collect the claim.

Important: The clock for the time limit starts from the date the wages should have been paid, not the date the worker discovered the violation. Waiting too long can mean that your case is no longer valid, or that the amount of money you're able to recover gets smaller as time goes by.

What an Employer Owes DOUBLE LIQUIDATED DAMAGES

Missouri's underpayment statute is stronger than the federal one. An employer who pays a worker less than they were entitled to is liable for the full amount of the wage rate plus an additional amount equal to twice the unpaid wages as liquidated damages, less anything actually paid, along with costs and reasonable attorney's fees. Under the FLSA, liquidated damages are only equal to the unpaid wages. Missouri doubles that.

Missouri law also closes a door employers sometimes try to use: any agreement between the employee and employer to work for less than the wage rate is no defense to the action. Signing something does not make the underpayment lawful.

Retaliation: Missouri law prohibits an employer from firing, demoting, cutting hours, or otherwise punishing a worker for asserting their wage rights.

Final Paychecks UP TO 60 DAYS OF PAY

Missouri has one of the more unusual and more valuable final paycheck rules in the country, and it has a step most workers do not know about. When an employer discharges you, with or without cause, your unpaid wages become due and payable on the day of the discharge, at your contract rate, without abatement or deduction.

Here is the step that matters: you may make a written request for your money. If the check does not reach you within seven days of that request, the penalty is that your wages keep running at the same rate from the date of discharge until you are paid, for up to sixty days. In other words, a withheld final paycheck can cost an employer up to two additional months of your pay.

Two limits to note: This penalty applies when you are discharged, not when you quit, and the written request is what starts the seven-day clock. Commissioned sales representatives are covered by a separate Missouri statute with its own timeline and its own continuing penalty.

Employee Misclassification COMMON VIOLATION

Some Missouri employers label workers as independent contractors or exempt employees to avoid paying overtime. What your job says alone does not determine the legal classification. What matters is the actual working relationship and the day-to-day duties of the job.

With Missouri's minimum wage at $15.00 and overtime at $22.50, the gap between what a misclassified worker was paid and what they were owed builds fast, and Missouri's double liquidated damages apply on top of it.

Could You Be Owed Back Wages?

Josephson Dunlap reviews wage claims for Missouri workers at no cost. There is no fee unless wages are recovered. A case manager will go through your situation and tell you where you stand.