Missouri: Meal and Rest Break Requirements
The short answer
No. Missouri does not require ordinary private employers to provide meal periods or short rest breaks to adults or most youth workers. A narrow exception applies to children working in the entertainment industry, who receive a 30-to-60-minute meal period before exceeding 5½ hours at the workplace and a paid 15-minute rest after each two hours of continuous work.
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This is the general rule in Missouri. Ezel applies current Missouri law to your specific facts and answers with citations to the statutes.
| Governing law | No general Missouri break mandate (Missouri DLS guidance); RSMo § 294.022(5)-(8) governs children in entertainment |
|---|---|
| Required meal break | None generally; entertainment child: 30-60 min before exceeding 5½ hours at workplace (§ 294.022(5)) |
| Required paid rest break | None generally; entertainment child: 15 paid min after each 2 hours' continuous work (§ 294.022(6), (8)) |
| Paid or unpaid? | Entertainment meal excluded from worktime; rest included (§ 294.022(8)); otherwise provided short rests are paid and duty-free meals may be unpaid (§§ 785.18-.19) |
| Waiver and on-duty meals | No general state break to waive; § 294.022 states no waiver for an entertainment child's required meal/rest periods |
| Who is covered or exempt | No general adult coverage; narrow exception for a child performing in motion pictures, TV/radio, theater, modeling, horse shows, rodeos, or music (§ 294.022(1)-(3)) |
| Separate rule for minors | No break for youth generally; entertainment child gets 30-60 min by 5½ hours plus 15 paid min after each 2 continuous hours (§ 294.022(5)-(8)) |
| Remedy for a missed break | Entertainment-child violation: class C misdemeanor plus $50-$1,000 civil damages per violation, per day, per child (§§ 294.110, 294.121(1)) |
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Missouri's rule in practice
Missouri does not require an ordinary private employer to schedule a meal
period or short rest break for an adult employee. The Division of Labor
Standards states that breaks, including lunch, are generally left to employer
discretion, an agreement, or company policy.
The same no-break rule applies to most youth employment. The narrow state-law
exception is for a child working as a performer or extra in the entertainment
industry. Under RSMo § 294.022(5), the meal must last at least 30 minutes
but no more than one hour, and the child cannot remain at the workplace longer
than 5½ hours without it. Section 294.022(6) also requires a 15-minute rest
after each two hours of continuous work. Subsection (8) excludes the meal from
worktime but includes the rest.
When another employer voluntarily provides a break, federal pay rules apply.
29 C.F.R. § 785.18 makes short rests of 5 minutes to about 20 minutes paid
time. 29 C.F.R. § 785.19(a) permits an unpaid bona fide meal only when the
employee is completely relieved from duty.
What trips people up
Missouri's entertainment rule is not a general rule for every worker under 16.
Section 294.022 covers children used as performers or extras in listed
productions and events. Missouri DLS separately confirms that youth workers
outside that exception have no state-required break.
The entertainment clock measures time at the place of employment, not merely
performance time. Rehearsals and directed practice count as work under
§ 294.022(8). The child also receives a separate 12-hour rest between work
days, which is outside this survey's short-rest column.
Common questions
Must a Missouri employer provide lunch on an eight-hour shift?
No general Missouri law requires it. An employer policy, agreement, or a rule
for a particular occupation may still provide one.
Is a provided 15-minute break paid?
Yes. 29 C.F.R. § 785.18 treats a short rest of 5 minutes to about 20
minutes as hours worked. Missouri's entertainment-child statute independently
counts its required 15-minute rest as worktime.
What can happen if an entertainment employer denies the required break?
A Chapter 294 violation is a class C misdemeanor under § 294.110.
RSMo § 294.121(1) also provides $50 to $1,000 in civil damages for each
violation, with each continuing day and each child treated separately; the
director may bring the civil enforcement action.
Statutes and sources
- RSMo § 294.022(2)-(3), (5)-(8). The current official statute defines the
entertainment coverage, sets the meal and rest clocks, and states which time
counts as work. Official text
(accessed July 12, 2026). - RSMo §§ 294.110 and 294.121(1). The current official statutes supply the
misdemeanor and civil-damages consequences for a Chapter 294 violation.
Criminal provision
and civil provision
(accessed July 12, 2026). - Missouri Division of Labor Standards, Wages, Hours and Dismissal Rights.
Current official guidance confirms that Missouri requires no break generally
and identifies the entertainment-child exception.
Official guidance
(accessed July 12, 2026). - 29 C.F.R. §§ 785.18-.19. The current federal rules treat provided short
rests as paid time and require complete relief from duty for an unpaid bona
fide meal. Short rests
and meals
(accessed July 12, 2026).
Source links
Every statute quoted above, linked, with the date we checked it.
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