Midwest · MI
Michigan labor laws for hourly employees
Overtime, meal and rest breaks, and how often wages must be paid in Michigan, summarised for the person running the time clock. Reviewed September 2026; general information, not legal advice.
Michigan at a glance
Daily overtime
None. Overtime is weekly only, under the federal rule.
Weekly overtime
1.5× the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek (federal FLSA).
7th consecutive day
No seventh-day premium. Hours on a seventh day count toward the weekly threshold like any other.
Meal breaks
No state meal-break requirement. The federal rule applies.
Rest breaks
No state rest-break requirement. The federal rule applies.
Pay frequency
Regular weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly paydays, each with its own deadline for paying wages.
How 9forty5 applies Michigan's rules
Weekly overtime after 40 hours is on by default and covers Michigan. Pay periods match the state's payday rule (weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly, set per site), punch rounding follows the federal neutral-rounding standard, and meal and rest breaks are recorded as punches so the record shows what happened.
A company with a second site in a daily-overtime state runs both from one account: the Michigan site follows the weekly rule and the other site its own preset.
The federal floor
Overtime. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires 1.5× the regular rate of pay after 40 hours in a workweek for non-exempt employees. Federal law has no daily overtime.
Breaks. Federal law does not require breaks. When an employer offers short breaks (usually 5 to 20 minutes) they must be paid; a bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more where the employee is fully relieved may be unpaid.
Recordkeeping. Employers must keep accurate records of hours worked each day and each week, wages paid, and the basis of pay. Payroll records are kept for 3 years and the time cards behind them for 2 years.
Rounding. Rounding punches to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes is allowed only when it is neutral over time and does not systematically favor the employer.
Michigan questions
Michigan has no state meal-break requirement for private-sector adult employees. Under federal law, if you offer a meal period of 30 minutes or more during which the employee is fully relieved, it may be unpaid; shorter breaks must be paid.
Regular weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly paydays, each with its own deadline for paying wages.
Weekly overtime after 40 hours is on by default and covers Michigan. Pay periods, punch rounding, meal-break punches and holidays are set per site, and approved hours export to payroll with overtime in its own column.
Other states in the Midwest
This page is general information summarised from the U.S. Department of Labor's state tables and Michigan's labor agency, reviewed September 2026. It describes the usual rule for private-sector, non-exempt adult employees; industries, employer sizes and job types have exceptions, and rules change. It is not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your state labor office or an employment attorney before relying on it.
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