The Maryland 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. 

$15.00 per hour for most employees (as of 2024)

Maryland cities and counties that have higher minimum wage:

• Montgomery County - $16.00

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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. 

$3.63 per hour for most tipped employees (as of 2024)

Maryland city and county-specific tipped minimum wage:

• Montgomery County - $4.00

• Prince George’s County - $3.63

• Baltimore City - $3.63

• Howard County - $3.63

• Annapolis City-  $3.63

Maryland does not have its own overtime laws. Employers must follow the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), which requires non-exempt employees to receive paid time and a half for every hour worked over 40 hours within a workweek.

Maryland’s wage and hour laws generally require employers to provide nonexempt employees under the age of 18 who work more than 5 consecutive hours with a 30-minute break.

The Healthy Retail Employee Act requires certain retailers with 50 or more employees to provide employees with breaks. The length of the break depends on the duration of the employee’s shift.

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Vacation leave
Maryland 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
The Maryland Healthy Working Families Act requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide paid sick and safe leave for certain employees. If an employer has 14 or fewer employees, they must provide unpaid sick and safe leave for certain employees. 

Employees are entitled to earn sick and safe leave at the rate of 1 hour for every 30 hours that an employee works up to a maximum of 40 hours.

Holidays
Maryland law does not require private-sector employers to provide paid, unpaid holiday leave, or premium pay for working on a holiday.

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Laws for minors under 14:

• Minors under 14 years old are generally prohibited from working. Some exceptions include work in entertainment, agriculture, or family business.

Specific laws for minors 14-15 years old:

• Able to work up to 3 hours per day, 18 hours per week when school is in session. 

• Able to work up to 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week when school is not in session. 

• Cannot work before 7 AM or after 7 PM during school weeks. However, hours can be extended to 9 PM during summer (June 1 through Labor Day)

• Needs a work permit from the school or the Maryland Department of Labor. 

Specific laws for minors 16-17 years old:

• Able to work up to 4 hours per day, 28 hours per week when school is in session. 

• Able to work up to 8 hours per day, 48 hours per week when school is not in session. 

• Cannot work before 6 AM or after 10 PM during school weeks. However, hours can be extended to 11 PM during summer (June 1 through Labor Day)

• Does not need a work permit, however, needs to follow regulated working hours and work restrictions. 

Minors are prohibited from working in hazardous occupations such as construction, demolition, mining, operating heavy machinery, or certain agriculture work that involves hazardous equipment or chemicals.

Hiring
Maryland follows the federal law that prohibits employers from hiring discrimination based on the following characteristics:

• Race

• Color

• Age

• Sex

• Sexual orientation

• Gender

• Gender identity

• Region

In addition, Maryland prohibits employers with 15 or more employees from discriminating on marital and credit information. 

Firing
Maryland employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason and no reason at all provided the reason is not unlawful. However, they cannot fire an employee for discrimination, public policy, contract, or harassment.