Minimum Wage
The current minimum wage in Idaho is $7.25, on par with the federal minimum wage. Employers must ensure they’re meeting either the state or federal minimum wage standard, whichever is higher. In comparison, tipped employees’ minimum wage is $3.35.
When employers opt to pay their employees the tipped minimum wage in Idaho, they must be earning the minimum wage standard when tips are added. In instances where employees are paid less than minimum wage, employers are responsible for providing the difference in income.
If there is an instance where an employer and employee dispute tips, the employer is responsible for verifying the tipped amount. Additionally, employers in Idaho can require their employees to enter tip sharing or tip pooling arrangements. In these cases, employers can only count tips received by each employee after they have been split.
Visit our Idaho minimum wage information page to learn more about minimum wage in Idaho.
Related topic covered on other pages include:
Overtime
Idaho labor laws do not have laws governing the payment of overtime. Federal overtime laws apply. See FLSA: Overtime for more information regarding overtime requirements.
Prevailing Wages
Idaho does not have a prevailing wage law that governs wage rates on government project or service contracts.
Under certain circumstances, employers in Idaho may be required to pay residents wage rates established by federal prevailing wage rates and rules. The prevailing wage rates may be different from the federal and state’s standard minimum wage rates. Employees may be eligible for prevailing wages if they work on government or government-funded construction projects or perform certain government services. See the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, McNamara-O’Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), and Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (PCA) for more information about prevailing wages.
Meals and Breaks
Idaho labor laws do not have any laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to employees, thus the federal rule applies. ID Dept. of Labor: Labor Law Guide The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal (lunch) period or breaks. However, if an employer chooses to do so, breaks, usually of the type lasting less than 20 minutes, must be paid. Meal or lunch periods (usually 30 minutes or more) do not need to be paid, so long as the employee is free to do as they wish during the meal or lunch period. DOL: Breaks and Meal Periods.
Nursing Mother Breaks
Idaho labor laws do not require employers to provide nursing mothers with breaks to express breast milk. However, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act requires certain employees to provide nonexempt nursing mothers for one (1) year following a child’s birth with reasonable rest breaks to express milk and private spaces, other than a bathroom, to express breast milk.
Vacation Leave
Idaho employers aren’t required to provide unpaid or paid vacation benefits to their employees. If employers decide to offer these benefits separately, they must follow the policies outlined in their agreements.
It is also important to note that employers must pay accrued vacation leave to an employee when their employment contract ends.
Idaho is another state that allows employers to cap the amount of vacation leave employees can accrue. However, the state has yet to develop legislature surrounding other areas of vacation leave, including:
- Denial of accrued vacation payments if contracts do not specify details
- Requiring employees to meet specific requirements before receiving vacation leave benefits
- Whether employees can implement “use-it-or-lose-it” policies with accrued vacation
Visit our Idaho vacation leave information page to learn more about vacation leave in Idaho.
Sick Leave
Idaho employers aren’t obligated by law to provide employees with unpaid or paid sick leave benefits. That said, most employers will implement their guidelines and policies regarding sick leave. It is the employer’s responsibility to abide by these guidelines.
Visit our Idaho minimum sick leave page to learn more about sick leave in Idaho.
Holiday Leave
Private employers in Idaho aren’t required to provide unpaid or paid holiday leave. However, they can implement their own holiday leave policies. Employers do not have to offer special rates (for example, 1.5x wages) on holidays or weekends.
In instances where employees’ time spent at work is classified as overtime, employers must follow Idaho’s overtime wage laws. This likely means employees will have to be paid premium rates for their overtime work.
Visit our Idaho holiday leave information page to learn more about holiday leave in Idaho.
Jury Duty Leave
Idaho doesn’t require employers to provide employees with time off work to handle jury duty or a jury summons. It’s also important to note that employers cannot threaten or coerce their employees responding to a jury summons or serving.
Visit our Idaho jury duty information page to learn more about jury duty leave in Idaho.
Voting Leave
Employees in Idaho do not have access to paid or unpaid voting leave benefits. Employers can implement their own policies, and they have to follow the policies outlined in their employment contracts.
Visit our Idaho voting leave information page to learn more about voting leave in Idaho.
Severance Pay
Idaho labor laws do not require employers to provide employees with severance pay. If an employer chooses to provide severance benefits, it must comply with the terms of its established policy or employment contract.
Unemployment
Applying for unemployment can be a considerable benefit when looking for a job in Idaho. That said, there are prequalifications applicants must have before being granted unemployment.
Some of the most common eligibility requirements you must meet include:
- Applicants must be physically able to work full time.
- Applicants must be ready and willing to go to work.
- Applicants must be actively seeking work while receiving weekly benefits.
- Applicants must have lost their job through no fault of their own.
- Applicants must have been discharged for reasons outside of work-related misconduct.
If you cannot meet these requirements, you could be denied unemployment benefits. In these instances, you can appeal your application to provide additional details that could assist your case.Visit Idaho’s unemployment information page to learn more about unemployment benefits in Idaho.
