Paid breaks and unpaid meal breaks

Your contract can say which breaks are paid, and whether a meal break comes off even if you didn’t record one.

Without contract rules

Breaks you record are paid or unpaid by your province’s rules. In most provinces, a meal break is unpaid unless you have to stay available for work.

Paid breaks

  1. Open Jobs, tap your job, then Contract rules.
  2. Tap Add a rule, then Paid break.
  3. Choose Rest or Meal.
  4. Set how many paid minutes, and For every (hours), such as 15 paid minutes for every 4 hours.
  5. Tap Add, then Save on the job.

Breaks of that kind are paid up to that many minutes.

Unpaid meal breaks

  1. Tap Add a rule, then Unpaid meal break.
  2. Set After (hours), such as 5, and how many unpaid minutes, such as 30.
  3. Turn on Deduct even if no break is recorded if your employer takes the meal break off whether or not you take it.
  4. Tap Add, then Save on the job.
Paycheq's Unpaid meal break rule on iPhone: 30 unpaid minutes after 5 hours.

Good to know

  • To record a break, tap Start break on the Clock card, or add one to a shift by hand.
  • If your stub shows a meal break taken off automatically, use Deduct even if no break is recorded so your hours match.

Estimates only. Not legal advice. Check your collective agreement.

Still stuck?

Paycheq keeps everything on your phone, and its pay figures are estimates, not legal or tax advice.

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iPhone only. Every province and territory except Quebec.