State labor lawRead at source, 24 September 2026
Alabama Labor Laws for Employers (2026): Breaks, Overtime, Final Pay and Hiring
Alabama leaves most wage and hour rules to federal law. There is no state minimum wage, so the federal $7.25 applies, and overtime is owed after 40 hours in a workweek under the FLSA. Alabama has no adult meal or rest break law and no final paycheck deadline, though 14- and 15-year-olds need a 30-minute break before a sixth continuous hour. Where Alabama does act, it is strict: every employer must use E-Verify, new hires must be reported within seven days, and employers of minors need a state Child Labor Certificate.
Alabama employment law at a glance
Alabama has no state minimum wage, overtime, break, final-pay or pay-frequency law for adults, so the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) sets those rules. Where Alabama does act, it is strict: every employer must use E-Verify, every employer of minors needs a state certificate, and new hires must be reported within seven days. Every row was read in the Code of Alabama or at the Alabama Department of Workforce (Workforce Alabama, formerly the Department of Labor) on 24 September 2026.
| Topic | The rule | Source or note |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $7.25 an hour, the federal rate. Alabama has no state minimum wage law. Alabama minimum wage | U.S. DOL state table |
| Tipped cash wage | $2.13 an hour (federal), with tips making up the rest of $7.25 | U.S. DOL tipped table |
| Overtime | 1.5x after 40 hours in a workweek under the federal FLSA. No daily overtime | No state overtime law |
| Meal break, adults | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Meal break laws by state |
| Rest breaks, adults | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Short breaks are paid time under 29 CFR 785.18 |
| Breaks for minors | 14- and 15-year-olds: a documented 30-minute break before working more than 5 hours continuously. None required at 16 and older | Ala. Code § 25-8-38(e) |
| Final paycheck, fired | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Final paycheck laws by state |
| Final paycheck, quit | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Final paycheck laws by state |
| Pay frequency | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Pay frequency by state |
| Paid sick leave | No state requirement. Cities and counties are barred from requiring leave or wages beyond state and federal law | Ala. Code § 25-7-41(b) |
| Pay transparency in job postings | No state requirement. But you may not refuse to interview or hire someone who declines to give wage history | Ala. Code § 25-1-30(c) |
| E-Verify, private employers | Required of every employer since April 1, 2012 | Ala. Code § 31-13-15(b) |
| Ban the box, private employers | No state requirement (federal rules apply) | Ban the box by state |
| New-hire reporting | Within 7 days of hire or recall, to Workforce Alabama | Workforce Alabama new hires |
| Work permits for minors | The employer buys a Child Labor Certificate: Class I for ages 14-15, Class II for 16-17, $15 per location | Workforce Alabama child labor |
| At-will employment | Yes, unless a contract says otherwise | No Alabama statute requires cause; anti-discrimination and retaliation laws still apply |
Alabama break laws
Alabama has no meal or rest break requirement for employees 16 and older. The state's own child labor poster says it directly: "No breaks are required for employees 16 and older" (Alabama Child Labor Law poster).
Breaks for 14- and 15-year-olds
Younger teens are different. Under Ala. Code § 25-8-38(e), "No person 14 or 15 years of age shall be employed for more than five hours continuously without a documented interval of at least 30 minutes for a meal or rest period." A break shorter than 30 minutes does not interrupt the continuous period. "Documented" matters: the same section requires time records for every employee under 19 showing hours worked each day, start and end times, and break times. Compare other states on our meal break laws by state page.
Lactation
We found no Alabama statute requiring lactation breaks for private employers. The federal PUMP Act applies: most nursing employees are entitled to reasonable break time and a private space that is not a bathroom for up to one year after the child's birth (U.S. DOL).
What "no requirement" means in practice
Breaks you choose to give are governed by federal pay rules. Under 29 CFR 785.18, rest periods of about 5 to 20 minutes "must be counted as hours worked." A meal period of 30 minutes or more, with the employee fully relieved of duty, can be unpaid. Put the policy in your handbook so shift leads apply it the same way.
Alabama overtime laws
Alabama has no state overtime statute. Overtime comes from the FLSA: one and one-half times the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, for non-exempt employees. There is no daily overtime, no seventh-day rule, no state salary threshold for exempt employees and no required premium for nights, weekends or holidays. Private employers cannot substitute comp time for overtime pay under the FLSA. See overtime laws by state for states that go further.
Paying employees in Alabama
Minimum wage
Alabama has no minimum wage law of its own, so the federal $7.25 an hour applies to employers covered by the FLSA, with a $2.13 cash wage for tipped employees (U.S. DOL). The Alabama Uniform Minimum Wage and Right-to-Work Act (Ala. Code § 25-7-41) stops counties and cities from requiring any wage or benefit that state or federal law does not. More on our Alabama minimum wage page.
Pay frequency and final paychecks
Alabama sets no payday frequency and no deadline for final pay. The U.S. Department of Labor lists Alabama with no state payday requirement. Federal law still expects wages to be paid on the regular payday for the period in which they were earned, and whatever your offer letter, handbook or contract promises is enforceable as a contract. The practical rule: pay final wages on the next regular payday and pay accrued PTO if your policy promises it. See final paycheck laws by state, pay frequency laws by state and PTO payout laws by state.
Equal pay
The Clarke-Figures Equal Pay Act, Ala. Code § 25-1-30, bars paying employees less than employees "of another sex or race" for equal work in the same establishment, except under a seniority system, a merit system, a production-based system, or a factor other than sex or race. It also requires employers to keep FLSA-style payroll records under 29 CFR Part 516.
Alabama hiring laws
Alabama's hiring rules are where the state goes beyond federal law. Before the first shift:
- E-Verify: Mandatory. Ala. Code § 31-13-15(b) says that effective April 1, 2012, "every business entity or employer in this state shall enroll in E-Verify" and verify new employees through it. A first violation for knowingly employing an unauthorized worker brings a court order to terminate those workers, three years of probation with quarterly hiring reports, and license suspension. See E-Verify requirements by state.
- Form I-9: Still required for every hire under federal law; E-Verify builds on it. See our Form I-9 requirements guide.
- Wage history: Alabama has no pay transparency law, but § 25-1-30(c) says an employer "shall not refuse to interview, hire, promote, or employ an applicant for employment, or retaliate against an applicant for employment because the applicant does not provide wage history." You can ask; you cannot penalize a refusal. See pay transparency laws by state.
- Criminal history: No state ban-the-box law for private employers. See ban the box laws by state.
- New-hire reporting: Report each newly hired or recalled employee to Workforce Alabama within seven days. A recall means someone rehired after at least 60 consecutive days away. Employers with five or more employees must report online; late reports can be fined up to $25 each (Workforce Alabama).
- Minors: Anyone employing workers under 18 must buy a Child Labor Certificate for each location: Class I for 14- and 15-year-olds, Class II for 16- and 17-year-olds, at $15 per location, posted in public view (Workforce Alabama). The certificate is renewed annually. For every employee 18 or younger, keep an Employee Information Form, proof of age and time records on the premises. Hours for 14- and 15-year-olds are capped at 3 on a school day and 18 in a school week; 16- to 18-year-olds enrolled in school may not work after 10 p.m. or before 5 a.m. on a night before a school day. See child labor laws by state.
- Drug testing: See drug testing laws by state before adding a test to your process.
Paid leave in Alabama
Alabama has no paid sick leave law and no state family leave program. Ala. Code § 25-7-41(b) bars any county or city from requiring an employer to provide "any employment benefit, including, but not limited to, paid or unpaid leave, vacation, wage, or work schedule, that is not required by state or federal law." Birmingham, Montgomery, Mobile and Huntsville cannot add sick leave or scheduling mandates. Employers with 50 or more employees still owe unpaid FMLA leave to eligible employees under federal law.
Posters and records
Workforce Alabama lists its posters on its posters page. Its employer FAQ says employers must display the Alabama Child Labor Law, Workers' Compensation Notice and Your Job Insurance (unemployment) posters (Workforce Alabama FAQ); add the federal posters. See labor law posters by state. Keep child labor records for employees under 19 on site for 60 days and for at least one year in total (§ 25-8-38(b)). Check your workers' compensation obligation on our workers comp requirements by state page, and handbook policies on employee handbook requirements by state.
Local ordinances in Alabama
None that change the answers on this page. Section 25-7-41 voids any county or municipal mandate on wages, leave, vacation or work schedules beyond state and federal law, so Birmingham's employers follow the same rules as rural ones. For multistate employers, our predictive scheduling laws by state page lists the cities elsewhere that regulate schedules.
What this means when you're hiring hourly workers in Alabama
Two Alabama rules shape the hiring process more than the wage floor does. E-Verify is mandatory for every hire, so build the check into onboarding; and if you hire teenagers, the Child Labor Certificate must be on the wall before the first shift. The legal minimum of $7.25 rarely sets what you pay, so put the real starting rate, shift and town in the first line of the ad. Our job ad copywriting guide shows how, the employee cost calculator shows what a hire costs, and Boostpoint runs Facebook and Instagram job ads for frontline employers with a short in-app application.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alabama an at-will employment state?
Yes. Alabama has no statute requiring cause to end employment, so either side can end it at any time unless a contract says otherwise. At-will does not permit a termination that violates federal or state anti-discrimination law or retaliation protections. Alabama also sets no final paycheck deadline, so pay final wages on the next regular payday as your policy promises.
Are breaks required by law in Alabama?
Not for employees 16 and older. Alabama has no adult meal or rest break law. Workers aged 14 and 15 must get a documented break of at least 30 minutes before working more than five hours continuously (Ala. Code § 25-8-38(e)). If you give adults short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes, federal law requires you to pay for them.
Does Alabama require overtime after 8 hours?
No. Alabama has no state overtime law and no daily overtime. Overtime is owed under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act at one and one-half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, for non-exempt employees. There is also no seventh-day rule and no required premium for weekend or holiday work.
When is a final paycheck due in Alabama?
Alabama has no final paycheck law, for employees who quit or are fired. Federal law expects wages to be paid on the regular payday for the period worked, so the safe practice is to pay final wages on the next regular payday. Your handbook, offer letter or contract is enforceable, including any promise to pay out accrued vacation.
Does Alabama require paid sick leave?
No. Alabama has no paid sick leave law, and Ala. Code § 25-7-41 bars cities and counties from requiring paid or unpaid leave, vacation, wages or work schedules beyond what state or federal law requires. Employers with 50 or more employees still owe unpaid FMLA leave to eligible employees under federal law.
What are the hiring laws in Alabama?
Every Alabama employer must enroll in E-Verify and use it for new hires (Ala. Code § 31-13-15), report new and recalled employees within seven days, and complete a federal Form I-9. Employers of workers under 18 need a Child Labor Certificate for each location. You may not refuse to interview or hire an applicant who declines to give wage history. There is no pay transparency or private-employer ban-the-box law.
Do Alabama employers need a permit to hire minors?
Yes, the employer does. Workforce Alabama requires a Class I Child Labor Certificate to employ 14- and 15-year-olds and a Class II certificate for 16- and 17-year-olds, at $15 per business location, renewed annually and posted in public view. The employer must also keep an Employee Information Form, proof of age and time records for every employee 18 or younger.
Hiring hourly workers in Alabama?
Boostpoint writes and runs Facebook and Instagram job ads with the pay, shift and town up front and a short in-app application, so you hear from applicants while they are still looking.
Book a DemoCode of Alabama read on alison.legislature.state.al.us; guidance read at the Alabama Department of Workforce and U.S. Department of Labor on 24 September 2026.