The Kansas Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate that employers are legally obligated to pay employees. The federal minimum wage is a wage baseline, but different states, cities, and regions can adopt their own rates. 

$7.25 per hour for most employees (as of 2024)

Kansas does not have a state-set minimum wage so Kansas employers should use the federal minimum wage. Local cities tend to follow this wage amount and do not set their own higher rates.

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Tipped minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally obligated to pay employees who earn a significant portion of their income through tips. 

$2.13 per hour for most tipped employees (as of 2024)

Kansas employees are entitled to 1.5 times their regular hourly pay rate for every hour worked over 46 hours a week.

Kansas wage and hour laws do not have any laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to employees, so the federal rule applies in their case. 

The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal period or breaks. However, if an employer chooses to do so, breaks lasting less than 30 minutes must be paid.

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Vacation leave
Kansas does not require employers to provide paid time off to their employees. The employer can choose to offer vacation leave at their discretion. 

Paid Sick Leave
Kansas has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave.

Holidays
Kansas state law does not require private employers to provide paid or unpaid holiday leave.

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Kansas follows federal law for minors in the workplace. Children must be at least 14 years old to work. 

Laws for minors 14-15:

• Can work limited hours (no more than 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours in a school week) and only in non-hazardous jobs. 

• Can work 8 hours a day on a non-school day and up to 40 hours during the summer. 

Laws for minors 16-17:

• Can work longer hours but not restricted by schedule schedules. However, they are still limited to the types of jobs and hours they can work.

Hiring
Kansas law prohibits hiring discrimination based on the following characteristics:

• Race

• Color

• Religion

• Sex

• National origin

• Disability

• Age (40 and over) 

Employers with four or more employees are covered under the Kansas Act Against Discrimination (KAAD). With applicants' consent, employers can perform background checks. They must also verify the employment eligibility of new hires through the I-9 form. 

Firing
Kansas employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason and no reason at all provided the reason is not unlawful.