Idaho Wage and Hour Laws

In the United States there are wage and hour laws that set minimum standards regarding the terms of a worker's employment. These laws set the minimum amount that an employee may make per hour, overtime pay requirements, child labor laws, etc.

Employers are required to abide by both the federal wage and hour laws that are outlined in the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), and the wage and hour laws in effect in the employer's state. This article provides a brief overview of Idaho's wage and hour laws.

Idaho's Minimum Wage Law

Code Section

Idaho Code section 44-1502: Minimum Wages

Hourly Wage Requirement

Employers in Idaho may not pay an employee less than $7.25 per hour (this amount reflects the federal minimum wage).

Exceptions

Tipped Employees:

Employees engaged in an occupation in which he or she customarily and regularly receives more than $30.00 a month in tips can be paid an hourly wage of as little as $3.35 per hour as long as the employee's tips combined with their hourly wage equals at least Idaho's minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.

Opportunity Wage:

Employees who are less than 20 years old may be paid $4.25 per hour during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after the employee begins working.

Exempted Employees:

The employees listed in section 44-1504 aren't subject to Idaho's minimum wage law.

Discriminatory Wage Rates Based on Sex

In Idaho, it is illegal to discriminate between employees in the same establishment on the basis of sex, by paying wages to any employee at a rate less than the rate at which he pays any employee of the opposite sex for comparable work.

Idaho's Overtime Pay Law

The federal overtime pay laws apply in Idaho because the state hasn't enacted an overtime statute of its own. Under the FLSA's overtime pay statute, employees must be paid at least 1Â½ times their regular rate of pay for all hours worked in excess of 40 hours in a workweek.

Additional Resources

State laws change frequently. For case specific information regarding Idaho's wage and hour laws contact a local employment law attorney.