01$15.00 effective Jan 1, 2026; CPI indexing eliminated by HB 567
Missouri's minimum wage is $15.00/hr effective January 1, 2026, up from $13.75 (effective January 1, 2025). The trajectory was established by Proposition A, approved by Missouri voters with 58% support in the November 5, 2024 election. Prop A would have continued with annual CPI-indexed adjustments starting January 1, 2027.
HB 567 (signed July 10, 2025; effective August 28, 2025) preserved the wage increases but eliminated CPI indexing. Specifically: (1) $13.75 (Jan 1, 2025) preserved; (2) $15.00 (Jan 1, 2026) preserved; (3) CPI indexing for 2027 onward eliminated. The $15.00 rate remains in effect indefinitely absent further legislative action.
Tipped workers earn $7.50/hr cash + up to $7.50 tip credit ($15.00 - $7.50), with total compensation including tips required to reach $15.00. Workers earning more than $30/month in tips qualify as tipped employees (federal threshold). MO's 50% tipped wage is more generous than most states (PA $2.83/$7.25 = 39%; NJ $5.62/$15.49 = 36%) but less generous than no-tip-credit states (CA, WA, OR, MN, MT, AK, NV).
Public employer coverage: HB 567 added 'public employers' to coverage. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.502.4 now applies to: state, political subdivisions, school districts, cities, counties, towns, villages, and other public entities. Pre-HB 567, public employers were exempt from Prop A's increased minimum wage. Public employers must pay $13.75 (effective Aug 28, 2025) and $15.00 (effective Jan 1, 2026).
Federal $684/week ($35,568/year) exempt threshold applies. Missouri does not set a higher state-specific exempt threshold. The DOL's attempted 2024 increase to $1,128/week was vacated by the Eastern District of Texas in November 2024, leaving the federal $684 in place. Combined with $15.00 minimum wage, exempt classification analysis produces a $35,568/year salary basis floor — substantially below the $31,200 needed to align with $15.00 hourly × 2,080 hours. The exempt threshold gap has driven multi-state operators to scrutinize exempt classifications more carefully in MO.
Read the full Missouri prop a wage trajectory + hb 567 reset guide →
02Prop A PSL effective May 1 - Aug 28, 2025; HB 567 repealed thereafter
Missouri's earned paid sick time framework had a 17-week active period: May 1, 2025 (effective date under Prop A) through August 28, 2025 (effective date of HB 567 repeal). During this window, employers were required to provide PSL at the rate of 1 hour per 30 hours worked. Workers could use accrued PSL for own illness, family member care, medical appointments, and absences related to domestic violence.
HB 567 (signed by Governor Kehoe July 10, 2025; effective August 28, 2025) repealed the PSL provisions entirely. The repeal does NOT affect: (1) PSL accrued during the May 1 - August 28 window (existing balances at repeal); (2) employer obligation to comply with PSL during the May 1 - August 28 window. Post-August 28, accrual ceased; how to handle existing balances is at employer discretion subject to written policy.
Recordkeeping during the active window: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.605 (now repealed) had required 3-year recordkeeping for PSL accrual and usage. Best practice: retain records for the 17-week window through August 28, 2028 (3 years after repeal effective date). Records should include: hours worked per worker; PSL accrued per worker; PSL used per worker; remaining PSL balance at August 28, 2025. The records may be relevant if the repeal is legally challenged or if the 2026 constitutional amendment passes.
Employer policy options post-repeal: (1) eliminate Prop A PSL entirely effective August 29, 2025, with written notice to workers; (2) retain Prop A PSL voluntarily for workforce continuity; (3) modify PSL to a different framework (more or less generous) under written policy. Many Missouri employers have retained voluntary PSL given the potential 2026 constitutional amendment that would restore similar requirements.
2026 Ballot Constitutional Amendment: Initiative Petition 2026-47 (filed with Missouri Secretary of State) would amend the Missouri Constitution to require statewide paid sick leave. A constitutional amendment cannot be repealed by simple legislative action — would require another constitutional amendment to repeal. If certified for the November 2026 ballot and approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would take effect February 1, 2027. Multi-state operators should monitor signature collection and ballot certification status.
Read the full Missouri paid sick leave: repealed aug 28, 2025 guide →
03Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110 — wages due immediately upon discharge
Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110 (Wages and Hours) establishes Missouri's final pay rule for discharge: 'Whenever any person, firm, or corporation doing business in this state shall discharge any employee or person engaged in their service, the employer shall pay or tender to the discharged employee or person the wages then due the discharged employee or person.' Courts and DOLIR interpret 'pay or tender' as immediate — at the time of discharge.
Voluntary resignation: by next regular payday. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080 governs resignation final pay timing. Workers who quit are entitled to final wages on the next regular payday following separation; no immediate payment required.
Statutory penalty for late final pay: Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110 provides that if wages are not paid as required, 'wages of such employee or person shall continue from the date of discharge or refusal until paid, but not exceeding sixty (60) days.' The continuation wages accrue at the worker's regular daily rate. The framework is structurally similar to Nevada's NRS § 608.040 (30-day cap) but with longer 60-day exposure.
Operational implications for discharge workflow: (1) calculation capability — final wages including accrued vacation per policy, commissions earned, nondiscretionary bonuses earned must be calculated within minutes of discharge decision; (2) payment method — same-day cash, check, or expedited direct deposit; (3) documentation — wage statement issued with final paycheck per § 290.080.
Combined with $15.00 minimum wage effective January 1, 2026, the late-pay exposure has increased materially. A worker earning $25/hr at 8 hours/day faces $200/day in continuation wages; 60 days of late pay = $12,000 in addition to the underlying unpaid amount. The framework rewards documented immediate-payment workflows; ad-hoc separation administration creates substantial exposure under federal FLSA and state continuation wages.
Read the full Missouri immediate final pay on discharge guide →
04Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.560 — 16+ employee employers, 10 days unpaid
Missouri Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.560 (effective June 1, 2026) requires Missouri employers with 16 or more employees to provide up to 10 days of unpaid leave for parents with a child admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The 16-employee threshold is the lowest among Missouri's leave-related employer thresholds.
Worker eligibility: the statute does not impose minimum employment tenure or hours requirements (unlike federal FMLA's 12-month/1,250-hour requirement). Any worker at a covered employer is eligible from day one of employment when their child is admitted to NICU.
Coverage: parents (biological, adoptive, foster) with a child admitted to a NICU. The leave is for the duration of NICU admission, capped at 10 days per qualifying event. Workers may take leave intermittently if NICU admission spans multiple periods.
Documentation: medical records or hospital documentation confirming NICU admission satisfy the documentation requirement. Privacy-conscious employers should provide secure document handling and limit access to HR personnel handling leave administration.
Anti-retaliation: workers cannot be discharged, demoted, denied employment opportunities, or otherwise discriminated against for: (1) requesting NICU leave; (2) using NICU leave; (3) filing complaints under § 290.560. Civil remedies: reinstatement, back pay, attorney fees. Coordination with federal FMLA: NICU admissions involving 'serious health condition' may also qualify for federal FMLA leave (12 weeks, paid concurrent with NICU leave). Multi-state operators should configure dual-track leave administration when both frameworks apply.
Read the full Missouri neonatal intensive care leave act (june 1, 2026) guide →
05Missouri has no state overtime statute — pure FLSA reliance
Missouri has no state overtime statute. Federal FLSA (29 USC § 207) controls: 1.5× regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek for non-exempt workers. Missouri tracks federal exemptions, federal regular rate calculation, and federal SOL framework. State law adds no overtime requirements beyond federal.
Federal regular rate calculation under 29 CFR Part 778 controls. All compensation components must be included: hourly wages, nondiscretionary bonuses, shift differentials, commissions, certain piecework. Failing to include nondiscretionary bonuses in regular rate is a common employer mistake — particularly impactful where bonuses materially exceed hourly base.
FLSA exemptions apply: executive, administrative, professional (with $684/week salary basis + duties test); computer professionals (with $684/week salary or $27.63/hour hourly basis); outside sales; highly compensated employees ($107,432/year, primarily performing exempt duties). Missouri follows federal exemption analysis without state-specific modifications.
FLSA enforcement track: workers may pursue claims through US DOL Wage and Hour Division (administrative track) or private civil action in federal court. Federal SOL: 2 years for ordinary violations, 3 years for willful. Recovery: unpaid overtime + equal liquidated damages + attorney fees + costs. Class certification under Rule 23 or collective action under FLSA § 216(b) typical for pattern violations.
Combined with $15.00 minimum wage effective January 1, 2026, OT exposure has increased materially. A non-exempt worker earning $20/hr OT working 50 hours/week: 10 hours × $30/hr OT = $300/week in OT premium. Misclassification of just one such worker over 2 years creates ~$31,000 of unpaid OT exposure plus liquidated damages plus attorney fees. The framework rewards rigorous classification analysis and documentation.
Read the full Missouri federal flsa overtime (no state ot) guide →
06Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080 — semi-monthly minimum pay frequency
Pay frequency under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080: 'every employer shall pay employees in lawful money of the United States or by direct deposit, and at intervals of not more than sixteen (16) days for those engaged in operating a hotel, restaurant, or other enterprise.' Practical interpretation: semi-monthly is the minimum compliant frequency for most workers. Bi-weekly, weekly all comply.
Specific industries may have shorter required pay cycles. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.090 covers certain industries. Workers in 'manual labor' or specific transportation operations may have different timing requirements based on the nature of the work and the wage structure.
Wage statement disclosure under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.080: per-paycheck information required including: gross wages; deductions itemized (taxes, garnishments, voluntary deductions); net wages; pay period covered. Wage statements may be electronic. Records of hours worked and wages paid must be retained for 3 years (federal FLSA standard, also applicable in Missouri).
Vacation payout: Missouri does not require vacation payout at termination. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.090 governs wage payment but does not include vacation in the mandatory payout framework. Once an employer establishes a vacation policy, however, the policy creates enforceable obligations: workers earn vacation per the accrual schedule; if the policy provides for payout at termination, that becomes an enforceable wage obligation; if the policy specifies forfeiture, vacation may be forfeited at separation.
Wage deduction rules under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.110: employers may make deductions only for: (1) items required by law (taxes, court-ordered garnishments); (2) items authorized in writing by the worker. Deductions cannot reduce pay below minimum wage and cannot be taken from overtime premium under federal FLSA standards (FLSA Fact Sheet #16).
Read the full Missouri vacation payout + semi-monthly pay guide →
076+ employee threshold; 'motivating factor' standard tightened by 2017 amendments
Missouri Human Rights Act under Mo. Rev. Stat. §§ 213.010 et seq. prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age (40-69), or disability. Coverage: employers with 6 or more employees in the relevant geographic area. Lower threshold than federal Title VII (15 employees) and ADEA (20 employees), reaching smaller MO employers.
Notable absences from protected categories: sexual orientation and gender identity are NOT explicitly protected categories at the state level under MHRA. However, federal Bostock v. Clayton County (2020) extended Title VII's 'sex' protection to cover sexual orientation and gender identity, which applies in Missouri regardless of state statute.
2017 SB 43 amendments (effective August 28, 2017) made significant changes to MHRA: (1) Causation standard: heightened from 'contributing factor' to 'motivating factor' — more difficult for plaintiffs to establish discrimination. (2) Damage caps: imposed individual liability limits — $500K (up to 5 employees), $750K (6-100 employees), $1M (101-500 employees), $2M (501+ employees) per violation. (3) Whistleblower protections: eliminated under MHRA; whistleblower claims now under separate Mo. Rev. Stat. § 285.575.
(4) Mandatory arbitration: employers may require workers to sign arbitration agreements covering MHRA claims. Pre-2017, MHRA claims could not be subject to mandatory arbitration. (5) Pretext analysis: standardized burden-shifting framework; plaintiffs must establish prima facie case, employers may articulate legitimate non-discriminatory reason, plaintiffs must show pretext.
Enforcement: Missouri Commission on Human Rights investigates complaints. Workers may file with MCHR within 180 days of the alleged discriminatory act. Under work-share agreements, MCHR complaints often satisfy parallel EEOC filing requirements. Workers may pursue parallel federal claims under Title VII, ADEA, ADA where applicable.
Read the full Missouri missouri human rights act + 2017 sb 43 amendments guide →
08Multi-factor common law test; right-to-work state framework
Missouri applies a multi-factor common law test for IC classification, structurally similar to the IRS framework under Rev. Rul. 87-41. Factors evaluated: behavioral control (instructions on how work is performed, training provided); financial control (method of payment, who provides tools and equipment, opportunity for profit or loss, unreimbursed business expenses); relationship type (written contracts, employee benefits, permanence of relationship, regular business of the employer).
The multi-factor test is more permissive than ABC test states (NJ, MA, CA, MD, CT, NV). Workers can be classified as IC in Missouri even when the work is part of the employer's regular business — provided control is properly limited and other factors support IC classification.
Misclassification consequences: unemployment insurance back-contributions plus penalties (Missouri Department of Employment Security); workers' compensation premium back-payment plus exposure for any injuries during misclassified period (Missouri Workers' Compensation Division); federal IRS Form SS-8 reclassification with Section 3509 employment tax penalties; potential wage exposure under FLSA if workers should have received minimum wage and OT.
Right-to-Work Framework: Missouri is a right-to-work state under Mo. Rev. Stat. § 290.590 (Right-to-Work Law of 2017). Workers cannot be required to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. The right-to-work statute was approved by ballot in August 2018 with 67% support, before being codified. Multi-state operators expanding to MO from union-active states (NY, NJ, MI, IL) face different organizing dynamics; collective bargaining agreements may not include compulsory membership clauses.
Anti-retaliation framework: federal anti-retaliation provisions under FLSA, FMLA, OSHA, and Title VII apply. State-level anti-retaliation under MHRA covers employment discrimination matters. Mo. Rev. Stat. § 285.575 (whistleblower protections) covers retaliation for reporting violations of law. Combined, the framework provides substantial protection — but the state-level enforcement track is less aggressive than CA, NY, NJ, MA. Plaintiff attorneys typically pair state and federal claims to maximize SOL and remedies.
Read the full Missouri ic classification + anti-retaliation guide →