Can I Work 6 Hours Without A Lunch Break In California?

No, under California labor laws, employees working more than 5 hours in a day must receive a 30-minute unpaid meal break. However, if the total shift is 6 hours or less, both the employer and employee can agree to waive the meal break.

California Meal Break Rules

California labor laws require specific meal breaks based on the length of the shift:

✔ More than 5 hours → A 30-minute unpaid meal break is required.
✔ 6 hours or less → A meal break may be waived by mutual consent.
✔ More than 10 hours → A second 30-minute break is required, but can be waived if the total shift is 12 hours or less and the first break was taken​.

Failure to provide these breaks results in penalties, with employers required to pay one extra hour of wages per missed meal break.

Tracking Meal Break Compliance

To ensure compliance, employers use time clock fraud prevention tools to detect false time entries and ensure that meal breaks are properly recorded. Businesses also rely on timesheet reporting to track when employees take breaks, ensuring accurate payroll calculations.

California Overtime Laws and Meal Breaks

• California overtime laws require employers to pay 1.5x the regular wage for work beyond 8 hours per day or 40 hours per week.
• If an employee skips their meal break and continues working, those minutes count toward overtime calculations​.

Employers also use GPS breadcrumbs to verify whether employees leave the worksite during their meal period. This helps ensure compliance with labor laws and prevents unauthorized work during break times.

References