Make The Road Nevada | Know Your Worker Rights & FAQ

What You Need to Know About Working in Nevada

As a worker, you are entitled to take full advantage of resources dealing with your rights in Nevada. Some of these rights include:

Minimum Wage Laws
Overtime Exemptions,
Laws Applying to Hours Worked
Stipulations involving leave—for vacation, illness, holidays, jury duty, or voting

Find a comprehensive and in-depth breakdown on Nevada’s minimum wage, overtime, and hours and leave laws here.

Your Safety

If you see something unsafe going on in your workplace, report it to your supervisor. Give your employer the opportunity to fix the issue. If you think the unsafe condition hasn’t been resolved, it is your right to file a complaint with the State of Nevada Occupational and Health Administration (NVOSHA). The division will not give your name to your employer.

There are laws that protect you if you are punished for filing a safety and health complaint. If you feel you have been treated unfairly for making a safety and health complaint, you have 30 days from the date of the punishment to file a discrimination complaint with NVOSHA.

An employer must provide paid leave for you to obtain the COVID-19 vaccination. Effective June 9, 2021, a private employer who employs 50 or more employees must provide 2-4 hours of paid leave to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination. (SB 209 81st Legislative Session 2021)
The commissioner advises employers not to deduct hours from an employee’s paid-leave balance if the employee misses work because of a “mandatory government quarantine by a state, federal or local agency” for potential exposure to COVID-19

Know Your Worker Rights FAQ

QUESTION: How Often Are Employees Required To Be Paid?

ANSWER: Nevada law requires employers to pay their employees at least twice a month (NRS 608.060).

QUESTION: What Is Nevada’s Minimum Wage Rate?

ANSWER: Nevada is a two-tier minimum wage system. The current Nevada minimum wage rate is $8.75 for employees who receive qualifying health benefits and $9.75 for those that do not receive qualifying health benefits.

As of July 1, 2020, the minimum wage increased by seventy-five cent increments, meaning on July 1, 2022, the Nevada minimum wage will be $9.50.

The yearly increases will cap at $11.00 per hour for the lower-tier rate and $12.00 per hour for the higher-tier rate by July 1, 2024 (Assembly Bill (AB) 456-2019).

QUESTION: May an Employer Take a Portion of an Employee’s Tips?

ANSWER: An employer may not take all or a part of any tips or gratuities or apply as a credit toward the payment of the minimum wage (NRS 608.160).

QUESTION: How Often Does an Employee Have To Receive a Rest/Meal Break?

ANSWER: An employee must be given a paid, 10 minute break for each 4 hour period of work.

In addition, employees are entitled to an unpaid, 30 minute meal period for each 8 hour period of work (NRS 608.019).

QUESTION: Does Overtime Have To Be Paid for Any Work Performed Over 8 Hours in a Day or Over 40 Hours in a Week?

ANSWER: If an employee makes less than one and one half times minimum wage ($12.00/$13.50) per hour, the employee would be paid overtime for time worked over 8 hours in a 24-hour period.

If an employee makes more than one and one half times minimum wage, the employee would be paid overtime for time worked over 40 hours in a week (NRS 608.018).

QUESTION: Must a Sick Employee Report to Work?

ANSWER: No, an employee is not required to be physically present at work to notify their employer they are sick or have sustained a non-work related injury and cannot work (AB 181-2019).

Effective January 1, 2020, a private employer who employs 50 or more employees in the state of Nevada must provide 0.01923 hour of paid leave per hour of work performed (Senate Bill (SB) 312-2019).

Questions Left Unanswered?

Please contact our Economic Justice organizer, Abe Lugo at abe.lugo@maketheroadnv.org for further assistance.