Utah Wage and Hour Laws
Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016
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Wage and hour laws help ensure that employees are paid a fair wage by providing them with certain rights. The federal wage and hour laws are contained in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and provide minimum standards that the state laws may not dip below. States have the power to enact their own wage and hour laws, as long as the state law doesn't violate the federal FLSA. Utah has chosen to enact its own minimum wage rule, and the following chart provides a brief overview of this law.
Code Section |
Utah Administrative Code Rule 610-1: Minimum Wage |
What's Utah Required Minimum Wage? | As of July 24, 2009, most employers in Utah must pay their employees at least $7.25 per hour. |
Employees Exempted Under Section 34-40-104 |
Utah's minimum wage law doesn't apply to the following workers:
|
Employing Minors |
A "minor" is any person under 18 years old. In Utah, a minor employee must be paid at least $4.25 per hour for the first 90 days working for a particular employer, and then the minor must be paid a minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. |
Tipped Employees
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A "tipped employee" is a worker who regularly receives tips from customers. For example, waiters and waitresses are traditionally tipped employees. An employer may credit tips received by tipped employees against the employer's minimum wage obligation. An employee must receive at least $30.00 in tips per month before the credit is allowed. Tipped employees can be paid as little as $2.13 per hour, so long as this base pay combined with the employee's tips equals at least $7.25 per hour. Additional information about tipped employees:
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Enforcement of the Minimum Wage
If an employer in Utah repeatedly violates the minimum wage law outlined above, that employer has committed a Class B misdemeanor. A Class B misdemeanor is punishable by up to six months in jail, and/or a fine of up to $1,000. An employee can bring a civil action against his employer in order to enforce his rights under Utah's minimum wage laws. If the employee wins in court then he is entitled to injunctive relief and may recover the difference between the wage paid and the minimum wage, plus interest.
If you're an employee in Utah and feel that your employer has violated Utah's state labor laws, you can file a claim with the Division of Antidiscrimination and Labor.
Overtime Laws
In Utah, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act governs hour laws such as overtime. The chart below outlines the overtime laws that employers in Utah must abide by.
Code Section |
29 U.S.C. § 207: US Fair Labor Standards Act: Maximum Hours |
What's Required? |
If an employee works more than 40 hours in a workweek then he must be compensated with overtime pay.
Overtime hours must be paid at a rate of at least 1½ of the employee's standard pay rate. |
Additional Resources
- Application for Authorization to Employ a Minor (Utah)
- The Labor Commission for the State of Utah
- Frequently Asked Questions About Wages (Utah)
State laws change frequently. If you have questions about Utah's wage and hour laws, youn can contact a local employment attorney to learn more.
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