What is the New York Spread of Hours Law?

The New York Spread of Hours law requires an extra hour of pay when an hourly employee has a workday that begins and ends more than 10 hours apart.

Any unpaid breaks count towards this ten hours, meaning that a shift that starts at 10am and ends at 8pm, with two 30-minute unpaid meal breaks, is eligible for the extra hour of pay for many businesses, even if that means you’re already paying overtime.

If you’re a retailer or restaurateur in New York state, you’re likely already very familiar with this law (and the exceptions). It’s worth noting, though, that as the minimum wage in New York state increases, so too will your spread of hours payments to your employees, adding to your labor costs.

Spread of hours payments aren’t connected to tip credits and are mostly unrelated to any overtime payments. You can learn more about spread of hours in this quick reference guide from the NY State Restaurant Association.

How does Homebase help?

Homebase is the only team management and scheduling app that has built-in functionality for compliance with New York’s spread of hours law.

By using Homebase, you can stay compliant with the spread of hours law (as well as other state-specific labor laws) while also keeping your labor costs down. You’ll also be able to get your team schedules built and published in fifteen minutes, so your managers will have more time to focus on other aspects of your business as well.

Homebase can also help by providing live access to certified professionals who can help with all things HR and compliance. HR experts will answer any compliance questions you have, review your current policies, and even help you create new ones.

You’ll get a host of other team management tools when you use Homebase too, like team messaging, time tracking for easier payroll, and much more. Free integrations to the payroll provider and point of sale system you’re already using make running your business a little easier.