Kentucky Wage & Hour Rules for Cleaning Workers
Answer
Kentucky pays the federal $7.25 with no local increases permitted, but it is not a bare-FLSA state: paid 10-minute rest breaks every four hours, a 30-minute meal period on longer shifts, and premium pay on a seventh consecutive day are all state requirements.
- All hours worked on a 7th consecutive day trigger overtime pay under KRS 337.385, even if weekly hours stay under 40
- Kentucky mandates 10-minute paid rest breaks every 4 hours and 30-minute unpaid meal periods for shifts of 8+ hours
- Workers' comp required for all employers with 1+ employees at estimated rates of $3.50 to $6.00 per $100 payroll for NCCI Class Code 9014
$7.25 Kentucky minimum wage (2026) — the federal floor, with local increases preempted
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Kentucky Minimum Wage for Cleaning Workers (2026)
Kentucky's minimum wage is the federal $7.25, and KRS 337.275 preempts any local increase — the Louisville and Lexington ordinances passed in 2016 were struck down by the Kentucky Supreme Court for exactly that reason. Where Kentucky departs sharply from most low-wage states is breaks and seventh-day pay: paid rest periods, a mandatory meal period, and premium pay on a seventh consecutive day are all state requirements the FLSA does not impose. A cleaning company that treats Kentucky as a pure-federal jurisdiction will get the schedule wrong.
Market note: Louisville, Lexington, and Northern Kentucky (Cincinnati metro) cleaning markets typically pay $13–$17/hr for commercial cleaners due to competition from Indiana and Ohio markets — significantly above the $7.25 minimum.
| Jurisdiction | minimum wage (2026) | Notes | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky statewide | $7.25/hr | State law aligns with federal floor | labor.ky.gov |
| Louisville-Jefferson County | $7.25/hr | Local ordinance preempted by state law | labor.ky.gov |
| Lexington | $7.25/hr | No local minimum permitted | DOL |
Kentucky Overtime Rules
Kentucky follows federal FLSA overtime with one state-specific addition under KRS 337.385:
- Weekly overtime: Time-and-a-half for all hours over 40 in a workweek (FLSA standard)
- 7th consecutive day (KRS 337.385): Employees who work 7 consecutive days in a workweek are entitled to time-and-a-half for all hours on the 7th day, regardless of whether 40 weekly hours have been reached
- No daily overtime trigger (unlike California)
The 7th-consecutive-day rule is unique to Kentucky among right-to-work states and affects BSCs scheduling crews on 7-day contracts. A technician who works Sunday through Saturday earns overtime pay for all Sunday hours even if total weekly hours were only 42.
Meal and Rest Break Requirements
Kentucky has explicit break requirements under KRS 337.355 and 337.365:
- Rest break: Employees must receive a 10-minute paid rest break for every 4 hours worked
- Meal period: A 30-minute unpaid meal period is required for employees working 8 or more hours; this period must be at a time reasonably near the middle of the shift when practical
These are Kentucky-specific requirements that go beyond federal FLSA (which does not mandate breaks for adults). Failure to provide required breaks can result in penalties via the Kentucky Labor Cabinet.
Pay Frequency Requirements
KRS 337.020 requires employers to pay wages:
- At least twice monthly for most employees
- Final wages on termination: Kentucky requires final pay on the next regular payday after termination — there is no immediate payment-on-discharge requirement
Workers' Compensation in Kentucky
Kentucky workers' compensation is administered by the Kentucky Labor Cabinet, Department of Workers' Claims (DWC).
Requirements for BSCs:
- Workers' comp required for employers with 1 or more employees (KRS Chapter 342)
- NCCI Class Code 9014 (Janitors) applies to commercial cleaning workers
- Estimated 2025–2026 rates: $3.50–$6.00 per $100 of payroll (varies by carrier, experience mod)
- Kentucky has a competitive workers' comp market with multiple carriers — shop annually
Sole proprietor/partner exclusion: Sole proprietors and partners can elect to exclude themselves from workers' comp coverage — but this must be done in writing. All W-2 employees are covered regardless.
Extraterritorial coverage: BSCs registered in Kentucky cleaning accounts in neighboring states (Ohio, Indiana, Tennessee) need to verify that their Kentucky workers' comp policy covers out-of-state work or obtain coverage in each state.
Prevailing Wage
Kentucky repealed its prevailing wage law in 2017 (KRS 337.010 amendment). Kentucky has no state prevailing wage requirement as of 2026. Federal Davis-Bacon Act applies to federally funded construction; McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act applies to federal cleaning service contracts. Check SAM.gov wage determinations for federal cleaning contracts in Kentucky.
Right-to-Work Status
Kentucky is a right-to-work state (KRS 336.130, enacted 2017). Employees cannot be required to join a union or pay union dues as a condition of employment. Union security agreements are unenforceable.
Practical note for BSCs: Union cleaning activity in Kentucky is minimal outside of Louisville and Lexington. Government facility contracts and some large commercial properties may have union labor agreements — verify before bidding these accounts.
Worker Classification
Kentucky does not have an AB5-equivalent law. Workers are classified under the federal FLSA economic reality test. Kentucky courts have generally followed federal standards. Key Kentucky-specific issue: the Kentucky DWC audits cleaning companies for workers' comp misclassification — 1099 "subcontractors" who perform cleaning services regularly are commonly reclassified as employees during audits.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Kentucky's seventh consecutive day overtime rule work?
If a cleaning technician works seven consecutive days, every hour worked on that seventh day is paid at time-and-a-half under KRS 337.385, regardless of the weekly total. A tech who worked Monday through Sunday for 38 hours still owes overtime on Sunday's hours even though the week never reached 40. Payroll systems configured for a standard 40-hour trigger will miss this entirely, so track consecutive days as a distinct field and audit it rather than trusting the default.
Are Kentucky rest breaks paid, and how does that hit my labor cost?
More than most states. Kentucky mandates a paid 10-minute rest break for every four hours worked, plus a reasonable unpaid meal period for longer shifts, generally treated as 30 minutes and scheduled between the third and fifth hour. The rest breaks are paid, which means they are part of your labor cost and belong in your production rate math. A route built with no slack for two paid breaks on an eight-hour shift is underpriced before it starts.
What does Kentucky charge for workers' compensation on janitorial work?
Coverage is required for any employee through the Department of Workers' Claims, and NCCI class 9014 rates in Kentucky have run roughly $3.50 to $6.00 per $100 of payroll, below the national average. The penalty side is what deserves attention: operating without required coverage exposes you to stop-work orders, civil penalties that can reach $1,000 per employee per day of noncompliance, and personal liability for an injured worker's medical and wage replacement costs.
Does Louisville or Lexington set a higher minimum wage for cleaners?
Neither can. Kentucky preempts local minimum wage ordinances, and Louisville's earlier attempt to set its own rate was struck down. The statewide floor is the federal $7.25 everywhere. What Louisville does impose is an occupational license with a net profits tax on business income earned in the metro, which is a business tax rather than a wage rule but lands on the same P&L and is easy to overlook when modeling a Louisville account.
How we built this guide
Opora editorial sources from BLS OEWS wage tables, ISSA-447 production rates, NCCI workers' compensation classifications, EPA List N, OSHA 29 CFR standards, and primary state regulatory filings. We don't recycle blog posts — we audit primary documents.
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