What employers in Texas must do
Checked November 8, 2026From the agencies that run each program
Short answer
Most employers in Texas must pay at least the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour; Texas doesn’t set a higher one.
Texas has no state paid family and medical leave insurance program.
Get Texas deadline alerts
One email when a rate, a law or a deadline changes. Free. Privacy.
Texas requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Status | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | In effect | $7.25 an hour |
Pay rules Texas employers must follow
- Paydays
- At least twice a month; employees exempt from federal overtime at least monthly. If the employer sets no paydays, they are the 1st and 15th.
- Final paycheck, fired
- Within 6 calendar days of the discharge.
- Final paycheck, quit
- By the next regular payday.
- Meal breaks
- No state requirement for adults.
- Rest breaks
- 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. We found no separate state overtime rule.
- New hire reporting
- Within 20 days of the first day the employee earns wages, to the Texas Office of the Attorney General
From the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Department of Labor’s state tables, checked November 7, 2026.
Upcoming Texas deadlines
No dated Texas 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
- Texas Workforce Commission
- State Payday Requirements (last revised January 1, 2023), U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (read Nov 7, 2026)
- 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)
- 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)
- 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)
- Texas Payday Law, Texas Workforce Commission (read Nov 8, 2026)
- New Hire General Information, Texas Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Division (read Nov 8, 2026)