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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in Missouri must do

Checked November 9, 2026From the agencies that run each program

Short answer

Employers in Missouri must pay at least $15.00 an hour.

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

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

Missouri requirements at a glance

RequirementStatusWhat it means for you
Minimum wageIn effect$15.00 an hour

Pay rules Missouri employers must follow

Paydays
Corporations and railroad operators must pay at least twice a month, within 16 days after the pay period ends. Executive, administrative, professional, sales and commission employees may be paid monthly at the employer’s option.
Final paycheck, fired
On the day of discharge (RSMo 290.110). If it isn’t paid, the employee can ask for it in writing (the state labor division’s page says by certified mail). If it hasn’t arrived 7 days after the request, wages continue at the same rate until paid, for up to 60 days. This doesn’t apply to employees paid mainly by commission whose duties include collecting accounts or caring for stock or merchandise, where an audit is needed or customary to work out the amount due.
Final paycheck, quit
No deadline in state law or agency guidance for employees who quit; the final-pay law covers employees who are discharged.
Meal breaks
No state requirement for adults.
Rest breaks
No state requirement for adults.
Overtime
Time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek, or after 52 hours at amusement or recreation businesses that meet the federal seasonal test (29 U.S.C. 213(a)(3)).
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of hire (the earlier of the day the employee signs the W-4 tax form or the first day of work), to the Missouri Department of Social Services

From the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 9, 2026.

Upcoming Missouri deadlines

No dated Missouri 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. Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Standards
  2. RSMo 290.505, Overtime compensation, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (read Nov 9, 2026)
  3. State Payday Requirements (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  4. 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)
  5. 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)
  6. 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)
  7. Division of Labor Standards: wage and hour, final pay, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (read Nov 8, 2026)
  8. RSMo 290.080, Semimonthly pay, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (read Nov 9, 2026)
  9. RSMo 290.110, Wages due on discharge, Missouri Revisor of Statutes (read Nov 9, 2026)
  10. Last Paycheck, U.S. Department of Labor (read Nov 7, 2026)
  11. New Hire Information, Missouri Department of Social Services (read Nov 7, 2026)
  12. When does overtime come into effect?, Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (read Nov 8, 2026)