by Steve Kowalski | Sep 28, 2026 | Informational
TL;DR: There is no Florida final paycheck law setting a deadline, and federal law does not require immediate payment either. The safe rule is to pay the final check on the next regular payday, for every hour worked, including overtime. Florida does not require unused...
by Steve Kowalski | Sep 25, 2026 | Informational
TL;DR: Florida labor laws on breaks do not require meal or rest breaks for employees 18 and older, and neither does federal law. But if you offer a short break of 5 to 20 minutes, it must be paid. A meal break of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid only if the employee...
by Steve Kowalski | Sep 20, 2026 | Informational
TL;DR: Florida overtime laws follow the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: non exempt employees earn time and a half for every hour over 40 in a workweek. There is no daily overtime and no weekend premium. At the new $15.00 minimum wage, overtime is at least $22.50 an...
by Steve Kowalski | Sep 10, 2026 | Informational
TL;DR: The Florida minimum wage 2026 rate is $15.00 an hour as of September 30, 2026, and the cash wage for tipped employees is $11.98. This is the last of the $1 steps voters approved in 2020. The next change is calculated on September 30, 2027 and takes effect...
by Steve Kowalski | Aug 20, 2026 | Informational
Making your first hire is a milestone. It’s also the moment a pile of federal and state paperwork lands on your desk, most of it with deadlines you didn’t know existed. Miss one and the penalties are real. Here’s the clean, current checklist for...
by Steve Kowalski | Jul 20, 2026 | Industry Payroll, Informational
A Fort Myers contractor called me a while back, rattled. He’d been paying two guys as 1099 independent contractors for three years no tax withholding, no employer taxes, just a check and a form in January. Simpler, cheaper, and the guys were fine with it. Then...
