Massachusetts pays overtime the classic way: 1.5x after 40 hours a week, with no daily overtime and a $15.00 minimum wage in 2026. Enter your rate and hours for a Massachusetts estimate, and note the old Sunday premium pay rule is gone, eliminated on January 1, 2023.
Rules verified November 2026 · Sources: U.S. Department of Labor, Massachusetts Attorney General
By Mudassir Khan
Massachusetts state law, weekly 40 hour math. Each workweek stands alone.
Unpaid overtime complaints go to the Massachusetts Attorney General, Fair Labor Division. Estimates only. Not tax, legal, or payroll advice. Confirm with your employer or a qualified professional.
Massachusetts General Laws chapter 151, section 1A requires 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a week for nonexempt employees. Sunday hours count toward the 40 like any other day now.
Massachusetts reached $15.00 on January 1, 2023, the final step of the 2018 Grand Bargain increases, and the rate has not moved since. The tipped cash wage is $6.75. The state does not index for inflation and cities cannot set higher local rates.
The 2018 Grand Bargain phased out the Blue Laws Sunday and holiday premium pay for retail workers, dropping it 0.1x a year until it was fully eliminated on January 1, 2023. Overtime now follows the 40 hour rule only.
Gross = (40 × rate) + (hours over 40 × rate × 1.5)
| Rule | Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Overtime rule | State law: 1.5 times pay after 40 hours in a workweek; no daily overtime |
| Minimum wage 2026 | $15.00 an hour, unchanged since January 1, 2023; tipped cash wage $6.75 |
| State income tax | 5% flat rate, plus a 4% surtax on income over $1 million |
| Claim agency | Massachusetts Attorney General, Fair Labor Division |
| Claim deadline | 3 years; the Wage Act awards triple damages to prevailing employees |
| Worker | Math | Gross |
|---|---|---|
| $20/hr, 45 hours | $800 + 5 × $30 | $950.00 |
| $15/hr, 50 hours | $600 + 10 × $22.50 | $825.00 |
| $30/hr, 42 hours | $1,200 + 2 × $45 | $1,290.00 |
| $18/hr, 8 Sunday hours plus 32 weekday hours (40 total) | 40 × $18, no premium | $720.00 |
Example 4 shows what the 2023 change means: before January 1, 2023, those 8 Sunday retail hours would have earned a premium. Today they are ordinary hours that simply count toward the weekly 40.
Triple damages change the math for employers. The Massachusetts Wage Act imposes mandatory triple damages on prevailing employees, with attorney fees. That makes underpaid overtime an expensive mistake, and it is why workers should document hours carefully.
No local rates above $15.00. Boston, Worcester, Springfield and every other city follow the state rate. Unlike Washington or Colorado, no Massachusetts city can set a higher minimum wage.
Tipped workers must still reach $15.00. Employers may pay the $6.75 cash wage only if tips bring the worker to at least $15.00 an hour. If tips fall short, the employer makes up the difference.
Massachusetts exemptions are narrower than federal ones: the state has no retail or service establishment exemption, so commissioned retail workers still earn overtime. The exempt status guide walks through the tests, and the federal baseline is in the FLSA overtime rules guide.
No. Massachusetts has no daily overtime rule. Only hours over 40 in a workweek earn 1.5 times the regular rate.
It was phased out by the 2018 Grand Bargain and fully eliminated on January 1, 2023. Retail employers no longer owe premium pay for Sunday or holiday work, though they generally cannot require Sunday work.
$15.00 an hour, unchanged since January 1, 2023. The tipped cash wage is $6.75 an hour. No increase is scheduled.
With the Fair Labor Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General. Complaints must be filed within 3 years, and prevailing employees can recover triple damages.
Yes. Massachusetts taxes wages at a flat 5% rate, plus a 4% surtax on income over $1 million, and overtime pay is taxed like any other wage.
Yes. Tipped nonexempt workers earn 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40. The regular rate includes the cash wage plus tips credited toward the minimum.
Rates and rules checked against these sources in November 2026.
Want the same math without the Massachusetts framing? Use the overtime pay calculator. For another flat rate eastern state, try the Florida overtime calculator.