Employees who are completely relieved of their duties do not have to be paid. Exceptions apply to motion picture or broadcasting industries pursuant to Labor Code sections 512 and 226.7, and Industrial Welfare Commission Wage Orders 11 and 12. hour, with relief from all duty, for each work period of 6 to 8 hours, between 2nd and 5th hour for work period of 7 hours or less and between 3rd and 6th hour for work period over 7 hours; or, less than hour but not less than 20 minutes, with pay, with relief from all duty, where employer can show that such a paid meal period is industry practice or custom; or, where employer can show that nature of work prevents relief from all duty, an eating period with pay while on duty for each period of 6 to 8 hours. .manual-search ul.usa-list li {max-width:100%;} [CDATA[/* >*/. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely. Not applicable to places of employment where there are fewer than 3 employees on duty at any one time and the nature of the work allows those employees frequent paid breaks during the workday. Also exempt are: students employed by sororities, fraternities, college clubs, or dormitories, and students employed in a work experience study program and employees working in laundries of charitable institutions which pay no wages to workers and inmates, or patient workers who work in institutional laundries. Employers should have an avenue for an employee to edit time if [they] work through lunch.