Tennessee break, overtime and sick leave rules

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

The rules in Tennessee#

Meal breaks: An unpaid 30‑minute meal break for employees scheduled to work 6 consecutive hours or more, not scheduled during or before the first hour. Workplaces that by nature give ample opportunity for meal breaks are exempt, and tipped food and beverage servers may waive it in writing.
Rest breaks: No general paid rest break rule for adults.
Overtime: No state overtime law of its own; overtime for covered employees follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek).
Paid sick leave: No statewide paid sick leave law.

How Oh! Thyme handles Tennessee#

Oh! Thyme runs a company in Tennessee on the federal rules. On every shift it checks:

Overtime after 40 hours in a workweek, worked out week by week
Every punch and break, to the minute
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.

Not checked in Tennessee: its meal break rules. The break times are on every timesheet for a supervisor to see; tell us at support@ohthyme.com if your company needs them checked.

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Sources#

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Tennessee break, overtime and sick leave rules

The rules in Tennessee#

How Oh! Thyme handles Tennessee#

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