HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Meals & Breaks Rule

Overview

Meals & Breaks is a Pay Exception rule type that can be configured within a Rule Set in the Above Store Console (ASC). 

Meal and break requirements may vary by jurisdiction, employer policy, employee classification, waiver status, and hours worked. These requirements may define when an employee must receive an unpaid meal period, a paid rest break, or both.

The Meals & Breaks rule can help identify missed meal or break requirements and apply additional pay when configured to do so. Customers are responsible for determining when meal or break premiums should apply and how the rule should be configured based on their policies, agreements, or applicable requirements.

• For details on creating, editing, and assigning Pay Exception Rule Sets in general, refer to this article.
• For an overview of Meal and Break Planning, including scheduling and store level functionality, refer to this article.
• This functionality can be configured regardless of whether a specific jurisdiction is listed in the compliance coverage section below.

Compliance Coverage - Meal/Break Premium Pay by State

Some jurisdictions may require premium pay, additional wages, or other remedies when required meal or break periods are not provided in accordance with applicable requirements. Customers should review their state and local requirements to determine whether premium pay should be enabled, currently applies, or is actively enforced for their organization.

Meal Premium Pay

Meal Premium Pay determines whether additional compensation should be awarded when a configured meal requirement is not met.

When enabled, the rule can apply a premium payment if an employee does not receive a meal period that meets the configured requirements. Customers are responsible for determining when meal premium pay should apply based on their policies, agreements, or applicable requirements.

Break Premium Pay

Break Premium Pay determines whether additional compensation should be awarded when a configured break requirement is not met.

When enabled, the rule can apply a premium payment if an employee does not receive a break that meets the configured requirements. Customers are responsible for determining when break premium pay should apply based on their policies, agreements, or applicable requirements.

Meals & Breaks Rule Configuration

The Meals & Breaks rule is configured by defining meal and break requirements and determining what compensation, if any, should be paid when those requirements are not met.

Note: The rule supports separate configurations for non-waiver employees and waiver employees. This allows customers to align rule behavior with applicable policies, agreements, or jurisdictional requirements.

The following settings determine when meal and break requirements apply and how violation pay is calculated:

Meal Requirements

Meal requirements define when employees must receive an unpaid meal period. Customers can configure:

• The number of hours an employee must work before a meal is required
• The required meal duration
• How many hours into the shift the meal must be taken 

Example: Employees who work more than five hours may be required to take a 30-minute unpaid meal no later than five hours into their shift.

Break Requirements 

Break requirements define when employees must receive a paid break period. Customers can configure:

• The number of hours an employee must work before a break is required
• The required break duration

Example: Employees who work more than 3.5 hours may be required to receive a 10-minute paid break.

Additional Requirements: Additional meal or break requirements can be added for non-waiver and waiver employees as needed. Each requirement can be configured based on the applicable hours worked and meal or break criteria.

For both meal and break violations, the following payment methods may be available:

Auto-Convert Short Meals to Paid Breaks

The Auto-Convert Short Meals to Paid Breaks setting determines whether meal periods shorter than a configured number of minutes should automatically be treated as paid breaks.

Example: If this setting is configured for 25 minutes, any meal shorter than 25 minutes will be automatically converted to a paid break.

Related Articles

Meals & Breaks

• HS: Meal and Break Planning Overview
• HS ASC: Meal & Break Planning Configuration
• HS: Meal & Break Planning in the Scheduler
• HS ASC: Advanced Meal Break Planning

Pay Exceptions (ASC)

• HS ASC: Time and Attendance - Pay Exceptions
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Predictability Pay and Right to Rest Rules
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Minimum Shift Rule
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Split Shift Rule
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Meals & Breaks Rule
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Premium Pay Rule
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Regular Schedule Rule
• HS ASC: Pay Exceptions - Good Faith Estimate Rule