Colorado break, overtime and sick leave rules

Meal and rest breaks, overtime and paid sick leave in Colorado, in plain words. Last reviewed October 31, 2026. Not legal advice.

The rules in Colorado#

Meal breaks: A 30‑minute uninterrupted, duty‑free meal period in shifts over 5 hours. It can be unpaid only if the employee is completely relieved of duty; if the work does not allow it, the employee must be allowed to eat on duty on paid time.
Rest breaks: A paid 10‑minute rest period for every 4 hours of work, or major fraction (more than half of it), in the middle of each 4‑hour period where practical.
Overtime: 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek, after 12 hours in a workday, or after 12 consecutive hours. No double time or seventh‑day rule.
Paid sick leave: All employees earn 1 hour of paid leave per 30 hours worked, up to 48 hours a year. Up to 48 hours of unused leave carries over.

Oh! Thyme has a Colorado rule set, turned on for your company at setup. On every shift it checks:

Overtime after 40 hours in a workweek, and after 12 hours in a day
A 30‑minute meal break that starts by the end of hour 5
A paid 10‑minute rest break for every 4 hours worked, or more than half of that
Sick leave balances build from approved hours at the rate set for each person, such as 1 hour per 30 worked, stop at their cap, and come down when time off is approved.

A day that breaks a rule is flagged for the approver before the hours go to payroll.

Not checked in Colorado: overtime after 12 consecutive hours that cross into a second day.