Short answer. At least a 30-minute meal break for a workday of more than 6 hours. It can be unpaid if the worker is free of all duties and free to leave. No separate short rest breaks are required.
Massachusetts breaks at a glance
- Meal break
- At least a 30-minute meal break for a workday of more than 6 hours. It can be unpaid if the worker is free of all duties and free to leave.
- Rest breaks
- No state rest-break requirement: Massachusetts isn't in the US DOL table of state paid rest-period rules (revised January 1, 2023), which says states not listed don't require paid rest periods.
- Paid?
- Meal: unpaid if the employee is relieved of all duty.
- Law
- M.G.L. c. 149, sections 100 and 101
- Agency
- Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Fair Labor Division
In Massachusetts's words
Meal break
Hiring in another state? Employer registration in Massachusetts, done for you, or a free bookkeeping health check.
"Workers have a right to at least a 30-minute meal break if they work more than six hours during a calendar day."
Rest breaks
"States not listed do not require paid rest periods."
Breaks by shift length in Massachusetts
For an adult working the hours in one stretch, Massachusetts's rule as we read it calls for:
| Shift | Meal break | Rest breaks |
|---|---|---|
| 4 hours | None yet | No state rule |
| 6 hours | None yet | No state rule |
| 6½ hours | 30 minutes | No state rule |
| 8 hours | 30 minutes | No state rule |
Other shift lengths: open the checker set to Massachusetts.
Who the Massachusetts rule covers
US DOL table: excludes iron works, glass works, paper mills, letter press establishments, print works, and bleaching or dyeing works; the Attorney General may grant exemptions to some factories, workshops or mechanical establishments.
Waivers and exceptions in Massachusetts
An employee may agree to work through the meal break, but that time must be paid. Employers may require workers to take the break.
If a Massachusetts employer misses a break
A criminal fine of $300 to $600 for an employer, superintendent, overseer or agent who violates the meal-period statute, after prosecution, per the Attorney General's 1994 advisory. Only the employee may waive the break, and coercing a waiver is itself a violation.
Worth knowing in Massachusetts
Workers must be allowed to pray during their meal breaks, the Attorney General's guide says.
Not stated on the Massachusetts pages we read: a separate rule for minors.
Official Massachusetts sources
- Mass.gov: Breaks and time off (checked November 2026)
- Massachusetts Attorney General: Guide to workplace rights and responsibilities (checked November 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (revised January 1, 2023) (checked November 2026)
- U.S. Department of Labor: Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (revised January 1, 2023) (checked November 2026)
- Massachusetts Attorney General: Advisory 94/2 on meal periods (checked November 2026)
Massachusetts rules as published on the pages above, checked November 2026. General information, not legal advice; we are not lawyers. A union contract, an industry order or a city ordinance can add to them.
Massachusetts break questions
When is a meal break required in Massachusetts?
At least a 30-minute meal break for a workday of more than 6 hours. It can be unpaid if the worker is free of all duties and free to leave. Massachusetts Attorney General's Office, Fair Labor Division puts it as "Workers have a right to at least a 30-minute meal break if they work more than six hours during a calendar day."
Does Massachusetts require short rest breaks?
No state rest-break requirement: Massachusetts isn't in the US DOL table of state paid rest-period rules (revised January 1, 2023), which says states not listed don't require paid rest periods.
Is a meal break paid in Massachusetts?
On the official page we checked, the meal break is unpaid if the employee is relieved of all duty. If the employee has to keep working or stay on duty, the time is paid.
Can a Massachusetts employee skip or waive a break?
An employee may agree to work through the meal break, but that time must be paid. Employers may require workers to take the break.
Who is covered by the Massachusetts break rule?
US DOL table: excludes iron works, glass works, paper mills, letter press establishments, print works, and bleaching or dyeing works; the Attorney General may grant exemptions to some factories, workshops or mechanical establishments.
What happens if a Massachusetts employer skips a required break?
A criminal fine of $300 to $600 for an employer, superintendent, overseer or agent who violates the meal-period statute, after prosecution, per the Attorney General's 1994 advisory. Only the employee may waive the break, and coercing a waiver is itself a violation.
All states: meal and rest break laws by state · Maryland · Minnesota