Seattle: 10 hours between shifts
Seattle Secure Scheduling Ordinance (SMC 14.22). Time and a half of the opening shift's scheduled rate for the hours worked less than 10 hours after the previous day's shift. After the previous day's shift.
Sample data: a 3 PM to 11 PM close, then a 7 AM open. Type your own shifts.
Times in local time; the gap is the real elapsed time, so the nights the clocks change count one hour more or less. Nothing you type leaves this browser.
Result
- Premium owed
- $20.00
- Rest between the shifts
- 8 h
- Seattle rest window
- 10 h
- Inside the window?
- Yes
- Hours the premium applies to
- 2 h
- Pay for those hours at the rest rate
- $60.00
Time and a half of the opening shift's scheduled rate for the hours worked less than 10 hours after the previous day's shift. After the previous day's shift. Premium owed = what the rule adds over straight time for those hours. Applies the rest-between-shifts rules of the jurisdiction you choose to the shifts you load. Coverage depends on your industry and size — check with the city or state labor office. Not legal advice. Not affiliated with any city or state agency.
The employer may ask; the employee may decline without adverse action. If the employee works the hours, time and a half is owed regardless of request or consent. The Seattle rule, coverage and source.
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The rule
To qualify for the Right to Rest protections, the opening shift must occur either less than 10 hours after the end of (1) the previous day's shift; or (2) a shift that spanned two calendar days. [...] Regardless of request or consent, employers must always pay time and a half for hours worked that are separated by less than a 10-hour rest period.
Quoted from: Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Secure Scheduling Ordinance page (coverage, time-and-a-half rule), read 2026-09-30.
Who is covered (you decide)
- Hourly employee at a retail or food services establishment
- The employer has 500 or more employees worldwide
- Full-service restaurants: also 40 or more full-service locations worldwide
Consent
The employer may ask; the employee may decline without adverse action. If the employee works the hours, time and a half is owed regardless of request or consent.
How it is counted
Hours worked, including a mandatory staff meeting. Split shifts (one shift with an unpaid break of one to four hours) and two shifts inside one calendar day do not qualify. The rate is the opening shift's scheduled rate, so a holiday or overtime rate is multiplied again by 1.5.
In force since 2017-07-01.
Worked example
Sample data: a 3 PM to 11 PM close, then 7 AM to 3 PM the next day at $20 an hour: 8 h of rest, under Seattle's 10-hour window. The premium applies to 2 h: $60.00 at the rest rate, $20.00 more than straight time.
A whole week for every employee: the timecard audit with Seattle selected. Applies the rest-between-shifts rules of the jurisdiction you choose to the shifts you load. Coverage depends on your industry and size — check with the city or state labor office. Not legal advice. Not affiliated with any city or state agency.
Sources
- Seattle: Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Secure Scheduling Ordinance page (coverage, time-and-a-half rule) — https://www.seattle.gov/laborstandards/ordinances/secure-scheduling, read on 2026-09-30
- Seattle (2): Seattle Office of Labor Standards, Secure Scheduling Comprehensive Q&A (last updated August 2025), section F Right to Rest — https://www.seattle.gov/documents/Departments/LaborStandards/SS_QA_FINAL_082025v2.pdf, read on 2026-09-30
Frequently asked questions
- How many hours between shifts in Seattle?
- 10 hours. Time and a half of the opening shift's scheduled rate for the hours worked less than 10 hours after the previous day's shift. After the previous day's shift.
- Is clopening illegal in Seattle?
- Not banned: The employer may ask; the employee may decline without adverse action. If the employee works the hours, time and a half is owed regardless of request or consent.
- Who does the Seattle rule cover?
- Hourly employee at a retail or food services establishment; The employer has 500 or more employees worldwide; Full-service restaurants: also 40 or more full-service locations worldwide. Check coverage with the labor office.
- Does a split shift count?
- No: the rule counts a shift after the previous calendar day's shift or after a shift that ran past midnight. Two shifts inside one calendar day are not counted.