The Pennsylvania 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)

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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. 

$2.83 per hour for most tipped employees (as of 2024)

Pennsylvania overtime laws are similar to federal law. They require non-exempt employees to receive paid time and a half for every hour worked over 40 hours within a workweek.

Pennsylvania wage and hour laws generally require employers to provide a 30-minute break period to nonexempt minors who work more than five consecutive hours. 

Also, Pennsylvania doesn’t generally require employers to give breaks to nonexempt employees aged eighteen or over. If an employer chooses to offer employees a break that lasts less than twenty minutes, it must be paid.

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Vacation leave
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania does not have state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid sick leave. However, some cities may have paid sick leave laws that differ from the state’s. 

Holidays
Pennsylvania has no state laws requiring private employers to provide paid or unpaid holiday leave.

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The Pennsylvania Child Labor Law (CLL) was enacted to “provide for minors' health, safety, and welfare by forbidding their employment or work in certain establishments and occupations, and under certain specified ages.” Employers must keep records of the minor’s age and working hours. 

Laws for minors 14-15 years old:

• Must have a work permit from school or local district to be employed.

• Can work a maximum of 3 hours per day when school is in session and 8 hours per day when school is not in session.

• Can work between 7 AM and 7 PM, except the hours can be extended to 9 PM during summer break.

• There are restrictions on the types of work they can occupy. For example, minors are restricted from working in hazardous occupations such as construction or manufacturing. 

Laws for minors 16-17 years old:

• Must have a work permit from school or local district to be employed.

• Can work a maximum of 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, however, not during school hours.

Hiring
Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA) prohibits hiring discrimination based on the following characteristics:

• Race

• Color

• Religion

• Ancestry

• Age

• Sex

• National origin

• Disability

• Use of a guide or support animal

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