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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in Kentucky must do

Checked November 8, 2026From the agencies that run each program

Short answer

Most employers in Kentucky must pay at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour; Kentucky doesn’t set a higher one.

Kentucky has no state paid family and medical leave insurance program.

Running payroll in Kentucky? See the do-it-yourself route and list prices for the 8 payroll systems that say they file payroll taxes.

Kentucky requirements at a glance

RequirementStatusWhat it means for you
Minimum wageIn effect$7.25 an hour

Pay rules Kentucky employers must follow

Paydays
At least twice a month, covering wages earned up to 18 days before payday.
Final paycheck, fired
By the next regular payday or 14 days after leaving, whichever is later.
Final paycheck, quit
By the next regular payday or 14 days after leaving, whichever is later.
Meal breaks
Reasonable meal period, taken between the 3rd and 5th hour of the shift, unless employer and employee agree otherwise. A duty-free meal can be unpaid.
Rest breaks
Paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked, on top of the meal period.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. An employee who works all 7 days of a workweek also gets time and a half for the 7th day, unless total hours stay at 40 or less.
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of hire, to the Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center

From the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet, Department of Workplace Standards and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 8, 2026.

Upcoming Kentucky deadlines

No dated Kentucky deadlines on file right now. Federal year-end filings still apply.

Deadline calendar for every state · How to hire your first employee · Employer law changes for 2027 · All states

Sources

  1. Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet
  2. State Payday Requirements (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  3. Minimum Length of Meal Period Required under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  4. Minimum Paid Rest Period Requirements Under State Law for Adult Employees in Private Sector (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  5. State Minimum Wage Laws, including premium (overtime) pay after designated hours (updated November 5, 2026), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  6. KRS 337.020, Time of payment of wages, Kentucky General Assembly (read Nov 7, 2026)
  7. KRS 337.050, Seventh-day overtime, Kentucky General Assembly (read Nov 7, 2026)
  8. Kentucky New Hire Reporting Center, Kentucky Office of the Attorney General, Department of Child Support Services (read Nov 8, 2026)
  9. KRS 405.435, Employer reporting of new hires, Kentucky General Assembly (read Nov 8, 2026)