Missouri Employer HR Compliance Guide

Priority Compliance Actions

• 1Update wage-reduction notification procedures to ensure all employees receive written 30-day advance notice before any pay cuts, and document delivery.
• 2Review and revise paid sick leave policies to reflect that the Proposition A mandate was repealed in August 2025—clearly communicate current voluntary PTO or sick leave offerings to employees in writing.
• 3Audit minimum wage compliance for all hourly and tipped employees to confirm pay meets the $13.75/hour state floor as of January 1, 2026.
• 4Ensure Kansas City and St. Louis operations comply with local salary history inquiry bans during the hiring process, training recruiters and hiring managers accordingly.
• 5Monitor Missouri legislative developments—particularly SB 64 on pay transparency and any future minimum wage adjustment bills—and subscribe to state labor department updates to stay ahead of changes.

Leave Laws

Federal FMLA applies to Missouri employers with 50+ employees, providing up to 12 weeks of unpaid job-protected leave. Missouri voters passed a paid sick leave mandate via Proposition A in 2024, but Governor Kehoe repealed the sick leave requirement effective August 28, 2025, leaving no statewide paid sick leave obligation. Employers may voluntarily offer paid sick leave but are not required to do so. No state-level family leave or parental leave law supplements federal FMLA.

Wage & Hour

Missouri follows the federal overtime standard (1.5x for hours over 40/week) with no additional state overtime requirements. There is no state tip credit; tipped employees must receive at least the full state minimum wage of $13.75/hour. Final paychecks for terminated employees must be issued by the next regular payday; no separate accelerated deadline applies for voluntary resignations. Missouri requires wages be paid at least semi-monthly, and there is no general state-mandated expense reimbursement law beyond federal FLSA requirements.

Worker Classification

Missouri is an at-will employment state, allowing termination for any lawful reason without notice. Missouri courts generally apply the common-law right-to-control test for independent contractor classification, though misclassification exposure under federal IRS standards and the FLSA economic reality test also applies. Non-compete agreements are enforceable in Missouri if reasonable in duration, geographic scope, and subject matter, and tied to a legitimate business interest; courts will blue-pencil overbroad agreements rather than void them entirely.

Hiring & Onboarding

Missouri has no statewide ban-the-box law for private employers, though Kansas City has a local ordinance restricting criminal history inquiries for private employers. Kansas City and St. Louis prohibit salary history inquiries from applicants. New hire reporting is required within 20 days of hire to the Missouri Department of Revenue. Missouri has no statewide drug testing law for private employers, but employers in safety-sensitive roles should maintain written policies to preserve workers' compensation and at-will defenses.

Related Tools

Law Changes

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