California Meal & Rest Break Calculator (2026)
Find out exactly how many meal breaks and rest breaks you’re entitled to under California law — and if your employer may owe you penalty pay. Ensure you get what you deserve.
Break Entitlement Calculator
Enter your shift date, start and end times below. If your shift spans midnight or is longer than 24 hours (e.g., nurses working 30-hour shifts), just enter the correct start and end times — the calculator handles overnight and extended shifts automatically. If you took unpaid meal breaks, enter the total minutes; meal breaks are off the clock and must not be counted as hours worked.
Your Break Entitlements
What This Means for You
⚠ Potential Violation — You May Be Owed Money
California Break Law Reference Charts
| Hours on the Clock | Meal Breaks |
|---|---|
| 0 – 5 hrs | 0 |
| 5:01 – 10 hrs | 1 |
| 10:01 – 15 hrs | 2 |
| 15:01 – 20 hrs | 3 |
| 20:01 – 25 hrs | 4 |
| 25:01 – 30 hrs | 5 |
| 30:01+ hrs | 6 |
| Hours on the Clock | Rest Breaks |
|---|---|
| 0 – 3:29 hrs | 0 |
| 3:30 – 6 hrs | 1 |
| 6:01 – 10 hrs | 2 |
| 10:01 – 14 hrs | 3 |
| 14:01 – 18 hrs | 4 |
| 18:01 – 22 hrs | 5 |
| 22:01 – 26 hrs | 6 |
| 26:01 – 30 hrs | 7 |
| 30:01+ hrs | 8 |
California Break Law Overview (2026)
California has some of the strongest employee break protections in the country. If your employer fails to comply, they owe you one extra hour of pay for each day a meal break violation occurred, and another extra hour for each rest break violation — up to 2 extra hours of pay per day.Meal Break Requirements
- If you work more than 5 hours, you are entitled to at least one 30-minute unpaid, duty-free meal break before the end of the fifth hour.
- If you work more than 10 hours, you are entitled to a second 30-minute meal break before the end of the tenth hour.
- You may waive your first meal break if you work no more than 6 hours, by mutual consent with your employer.
- You must be free to leave the premises during your meal break.
Rest Break Requirements
- You are entitled to a 10-minute paid, uninterrupted rest break for every 4 hours worked (or major fraction thereof).
- Rest breaks must be taken as close to the middle of each 4-hour work period as possible.
- Your employer cannot require you to remain on premises during rest breaks.
- Rest breaks and meal breaks cannot be combined.
Penalty Pay
If your employer denies you a required meal or rest break, California law entitles you to one additional hour of regular pay per violation type, per day. You generally have 3 years to file a claim for these violations.This calculator is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws may vary by industry and circumstance. Consult a qualified California employment attorney for advice specific to your situation. Myers Law Group.
