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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in New York must do

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

Short answer

Employers in New York must pay at least $16.00 an hour, and as much as $17.00 depending on the region.

New York runs a paid leave program, New York Paid Family Leave, funded by a premium of 0.432% of wages in 2026.

New York employers covered by New York Secure Choice that don’t offer a qualified retirement plan must register by their deadline.

The next employer deadline in New York is November 18, 2026: Registration deadline for newly eligible employers required to facilitate the program.

Does your payroll handle New York’s programs? See the free state route and the 6 payroll systems with help docs that cover them.

New York requirements at a glance

RequirementStatusWhat it means for you
Minimum wageIn effect$16.00 to $17.00 an hour, by region
Paid leave: New York Paid Family LeaveIn effectMost private employers with one or more employees. Under Workers’ Compensation Law § 202, an employer with one or more employees on at least 30 days in a calendar year becomes covered four weeks after the 30th day of employment. A household employer is covered four weeks after hiring a personal or domestic employee who works at least 20 hours a week on at least 30 days in a calendar year. Public employers, self-employed people and out-of-state employers follow separate rules.
Retirement mandate: New York Secure ChoiceIn effectEmployers, for-profit or nonprofit, that employed at least 10 employees in New York State at all times during the previous calendar year, have been in business at least two years, and have not offered a qualified retirement plan, such as a 401(k), 403(b), Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) plan or Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees (SIMPLE) plan, in the preceding two years. The program counts employees from the wage data employers report to the state, including Form NYS-45. Workers placed through a professional employer organization (PEO) count as the client employer’s, and a plan the PEO offers counts as the client’s plan. Eligible employees are 18 or older and earn wages working in New York State. The program notifies covered employers when it’s time to register.

Pay rules New York employers must follow

Paydays
Manual workers: weekly, within 7 days after the week ends (some large employers have approval to pay every two weeks). Clerical and other workers: at least twice a month.
Final paycheck, fired
By the next regular payday (by mail if the employee asks).
Final paycheck, quit
By the next regular payday (by mail if the employee asks).
Meal breaks
Factory workers: 60-minute lunch between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Other workers: 30 minutes in that window for shifts over 6 hours that span it. Everyone gets 20 more minutes between 5 and 7 p.m. on days running from before 11 a.m. to after 7 p.m. Night shifts have their own rules.
Rest breaks
No state requirement for adults. Short breaks that are given count as paid work time.
Overtime
State overtime rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek (after 44 hours for live-in residential workers). Some workers exempt from federal overtime still get state overtime, at 1.5 times the state minimum wage.
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of the first day of paid work, to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance. Since January 1, 2022, independent contractors with contracts over $2,500 must be reported too.

From the New York State Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 8, 2026.

What changed in New York

  1. · Rate announced

    New York Paid Family Leave rises to 0.452% of wages for 2027

    The New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) set the 2027 Paid Family Leave premium at 0.452% of an employee’s wages, up from 0.432% in 2026, with a maximum of $451.81 per employee for the year. Employers deduct it from employees’ pay unless they choose to cover it.

Every change, newest first

Upcoming New York deadlines

  1. · Retirement mandate

    New York Secure Choice: Registration deadline for newly eligible employers required to facilitate the program

    10+ employees

  2. · Paid leave

    New York Paid Family Leave: 2027 Paid Family Leave deduction takes effect: 0.452% of gross wages, up to $451.81 a year

    The maximum weekly benefit rises to $1,287.91.

  3. · Paid leave

    New York Paid Family Leave: New eligibility standard for union construction employees: they qualify after working 26 of the last 39 weeks for any covered employer under a collective bargaining agreement

  4. · Paid leave

    New York Paid Family Leave: State law deadline for the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to publish the 2028 Paid Family Leave premium rate (Insurance Law § 4235(n)(1))

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

Sources

  1. New York State Department of Labor
  2. New York State Workers’ Compensation Board (runs Paid Family Leave) and Department of Financial Services (DFS, sets the premium)
  3. New York Secure Choice Savings Program Board (chaired by the Commissioner of Taxation and Finance)
  4. State Payday Requirements (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
  5. 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)
  6. 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)
  7. 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)
  8. Frequency of Pay, New York State Department of Labor (read Nov 8, 2026)
  9. Frequency of Pay: Frequently Asked Questions (2021), New York State Department of Labor (read Nov 8, 2026)
  10. Meal and Rest Periods: Frequently Asked Questions (2026), New York State Department of Labor (read Nov 7, 2026)
  11. New hire reporting (updated November 25, 2024), New York State Department of Taxation and Finance (read Nov 8, 2026)
  12. Overtime: Frequently Asked Questions, New York State Department of Labor (read Nov 8, 2026)