Minimum Wage
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)
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Tipped Minimum Wage
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)
Overtime Laws
North Carolina employees are entitled to 1.5 times their regular hourly pay rate for every hour worked over 40 hours weekly.
Meal and Rest Break
North Carolina wage and hour laws generally require nonexempt minors 14 and 15 years of age to be given at least a 30-minute meal break if they work more than five consecutive hours. Aside from that, there are no other required rest or meal breaks that North Carolina generally requires.
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Leave and Holidays
Vacation leave
North Carolina does not require employers to provide paid time off to their employees.
Paid Sick Leave
North Carolina has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave.
Holidays
North Carolina has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid holiday leave.
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Child Labor Laws
Children under 14 are generally not permitted to work in North Carolina. There might be exceptions for working for their parents, delivering newspapers, acting, or modeling.
Minors who are 14-15 years old are restricted to work during the following hours for certain jobs:
Can’t work more than 3 hours per day, 18 hours per week, before 7 AM or after 7 PM when school is in session.
Can’t work more than 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week, before 7 AM or after 9 PM when school is not in session.
Need an employment certificate to work from the Department of Labor’s Authorized Agent.
Minors under 16 must receive a rest break of at least 30 minutes if they work for at least five consecutive hours.
Minors who are enrolled in 12th grade or lower may not work between 11PM and 5AM if there is school the next day.
Hiring and Firing
Hiring
The North Carolina Human Relations Commission enforces that employers cannot discriminate during the hiring process based on the following characteristics:
Race
Color
Religion
Sex
National origin
Age
Disability
Genetic information
Employers can do background checks but must follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA).
Firing
North Carolina employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason or no reason at all, provided the reason is not unlawful.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this publication is for general informational purposes only. Deputy makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, with respect to the software or the information contained in this publication. While, Deputy’s software is designed to simplify shift work by assisting with hiring, onboarding, scheduling, time and attendance tracking, payroll integration, and wage and hour compliance, it is not a substitute for payroll or legal advice, nor is it intended to relieve you of your obligation to comply with the legal requirements applicable to your business. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that your use of Deputy complies with all applicable laws and regulations. Please review our Product Specific Terms for more information about your compliance responsibilities.
