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The Mandate Monitor

What employers in Pennsylvania must do

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

Short answer

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

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

PhillySaves has been signed into law for Philadelphia, but no employer has to register yet.

The next dated change in Pennsylvania is July 1, 2027: Ordinance deadline for the board to open PhillySaves so workers can begin contributing (Philadelphia Code § 19-4710).

Choosing a payroll system? Compare what 8 payroll systems charge and which state programs each one covers.

Pennsylvania requirements at a glance

RequirementStatusWhat it means for you
Minimum wageIn effect$7.25 an hour
Retirement mandate: PhillySavesSigned into lawBusinesses and nonprofits operating in Philadelphia that employ, and during the previous calendar year employed, at least one covered employee and have been in business in the city for at least 24 months. Employers that maintain 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, are not covered, and neither are government employers. Covered employees are 18 or older, have regular duties in the city and have wages allocable to Pennsylvania. Excluded: employees covered by the federal Railway Labor Act, employees for whom the employer contributes to a Taft-Hartley multiemployer pension plan, and anyone the board excludes by regulation. City Council says sole proprietors and self-employed people are excluded for now.

Pay rules Pennsylvania employers must follow

Paydays
No set frequency. Pay on regular paydays set in advance, no more than 15 days after the pay period ends unless a contract or trade custom allows longer.
Final paycheck, fired
By the next regular payday.
Final paycheck, quit
By the next regular payday.
Meal breaks
No state requirement for adults, except seasonal farm workers: a 30-minute meal or rest period after 5 hours in a row.
Rest breaks
No state requirement for adults.
Overtime
State law matches the federal rule: time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek.
New hire reporting
Within 20 days of the first day of paid work, to the Pennsylvania New Hire Reporting Program

From the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 8, 2026.

What changed in Pennsylvania

  1. · New law

    Philadelphia voters approve the board that will run PhillySaves

    Voters approved a Home Rule Charter amendment creating the Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board. The board must open PhillySaves so workers can contribute by July 1, 2027, and will set the employer registration dates.

  2. · New law

    Philadelphia creates PhillySaves, a city retirement savings program

    Mayor Cherelle L. Parker signed the PhillySaves ordinance (Bill No. 250651-A, Philadelphia Code chapter 19-4700). Once the program opens, Philadelphia employers in business in the city for at least 24 months that don’t offer a qualified retirement plan will have to offer payroll deductions into an auto-enroll individual retirement account (IRA). No employer deadlines have been set yet.

Every change, newest first

Upcoming Pennsylvania deadlines

  1. · Retirement mandate

    PhillySaves: Ordinance deadline for the board to open PhillySaves so workers can begin contributing (Philadelphia Code § 19-4710)

    Employer registration dates have not been announced.

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

Sources

  1. Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry
  2. Philadelphia Retirement Savings Board (City of Philadelphia)
  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. Wage FAQs, Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry (read Nov 8, 2026)
  8. Wage Payment and Collection Law summary (LLC-2, rev. 9-99), Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, Bureau of Labor Law Compliance (read Nov 7, 2026)
  9. Report New Hires, Pennsylvania New Hire Reporting Program (PA CareerLink, Department of Labor and Industry) (read Nov 7, 2026)
  10. Seasonal Farm Labor Act (Act of June 23, 1978, P.L. 537, No. 93), Section 207, Pennsylvania General Assembly (read Nov 8, 2026)