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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in Louisiana must do

Checked November 7, 2026From the agencies that run each program

Short answer

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

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

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

Louisiana requirements at a glance

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

Pay rules Louisiana employers must follow

Paydays
No general frequency rule. Manufacturing, mining and oil drilling employers with 10 or more employees, and public service companies, must pay at least twice a month. Employers that don’t set paydays must pay on the 1st and 16th.
Final paycheck, fired
By the next regular payday or within 15 days of the discharge, whichever comes first.
Final paycheck, quit
By the next regular payday or within 15 days of resigning, whichever comes first.
Meal breaks
We found no state requirement for adults.
Rest breaks
We found no state requirement for adults.
Overtime
Follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. No separate state overtime rule.
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of hire, to the Louisiana Directory of New Hires (Department of Children & Family Services)

From the Louisiana Works and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 7, 2026.

Upcoming Louisiana deadlines

No dated Louisiana 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. U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (no state minimum wage agency)
  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. La. R.S. 23:631, Discharge or resignation of employees; payment, Louisiana State Legislature (read Nov 7, 2026)
  6. La. R.S. 23:633, Paydays, Louisiana State Legislature (read Nov 7, 2026)
  7. New Hire Registry, Louisiana Department of Children & Family Services (read Nov 7, 2026)
  8. What Louisiana Employers Need to Know About the New USDOL Overtime Rule (November 14, 2024), Louisiana Workforce Commission (read Nov 8, 2026)