What is the minimum wage in Massachusetts?
The minimum wage in Massachusetts is currently $8.00 an hour for most employees. For service employees, like waitstaff, who receive tips of more than $20.00 per month as part of their compensation, the minimum wage is $2.63 an hour.
When is an employee entitled to overtime?
Most hourly and salaried employees are entitled to be paid one and a half times their regular hourly rate for any time worked in excess of 40 hours in a week. For workers who receive commissions and bonuses based on sales performance, these commissions and bonuses do NOT count as wages for purposes of determining overtime. Certain occupations are not covered by the overtime law. Major categories of workers not covered by the law are:
professionals and executives (including adminstrative professionals)
janitors and maintenance people in residential building who receive free rent for their services
fishermen
interstate truck drivers and helpers covered by federal laws
seasonal workers (those involved in businesses that operate less than 120 days a year)
outside salepeople
restaurant, hotel hospital, nursing home and gas station employees
employees of non-profit schools and summer camps
agricultural workers
Source: Mass. General Laws Chapter 151, sections 1,2 and 2A
Produced by Neighborhood Legal Services Last updated February 1, 2008