The Georgia Labor Law Guide

Minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate that employers are legally obligated to pay nonexempt employees. The federal minimum wage is a wage baseline, but different states, cities, and regions can adopt their own rates. 

$7.25 per hour for most employees (as of 2024)

($5.15 if not covered by FLSA)

Georgia has a state-set minimum wage. Local cities tend to follow this wage amount and do not set their own higher rates. 

→ Learn more about Deputy's labor law compliance software

Tipped minimum wage is the lowest hourly pay rate employers are legally obligated to pay nonexempt employees who earn a significant portion of their income through tips. 

$2.13 per hour for most tipped employees (as of 2024)

Note: If an employee doesn’t earn enough tips to meet the state’s minimum wage, an employer is obligated to pay the difference.

Georgia overtime laws are based on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) which requires non-exempt employees to receive paid time and half their regular rate of pay for every hour worked over 40 hours within a workweek.

Georgia wage and hour laws do not have any laws requiring an employer to provide a meal period or breaks to nonexempt employees, thus the federal rule applies. The federal rule does not require an employer to provide either a meal period or breaks.

However, if an employer chooses to do so, breaks lasting 5-20 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 completely relieved of all duties and free to do as they wish during the meal or lunch period.

→ Find out how Deputy can help you simplify meal and rest break compliance

Vacation leave
Georgia does not require employers to provide paid time off to their employees. Private employers can choose to offer vacation leave at their discretion. 

Paid Sick Leave
Georgia law doesn’t require employers to offer paid sick leave to their employees. 

Holidays
Georgia law doesn’t require employers to offer paid or unpaid holiday leave to their employees.

→ Learn more about Deputy's leave management software

In Georgia, minors between 16 and 17 years old do not have any state law work-hour restrictions. However, if a minor is under 16 years old, they need to be permitted to work during school hours, whether they’re in public or private schools. 

Laws for minors 14-15:

• Can work 3 hours on a school day and 18 hours on a school week

• Can work 8 hours on a non-school day and 40 hours on a nonschool week

• Cannot work before 7 AM

• Cannot work after 7 PM – however, this is extended until 9 PM from June 1st until Labor Day)

• Cannot work during normal school hours

Hiring
Georgia follows federal law which prohibits discrimination when hiring based on the following: 

• Race 

• Color

• National origin

• Sex

• Sexual orientation

• Gender identity

• Disability

• Religion 

Firing
Georgia supports “at-will” employment laws. All Georgia employers have the right to terminate employees at will for nearly any reason and no reason at all, as long as the reason is not discriminatory, retaliatory, or otherwise unlawful.