Alaska Labor Laws (2025 Guide)

What’s new in 2025

• Minimum wage increase
• Mandatory paid sick leave
• Shorter reporting deadline for workers’ compensation claims
• Increased penalties for workplace safety and health violations

Federal Labor Law Posters
State Labor Law Posters

Wage and Hour Laws

Minimum Wage

Alaska’s minimum wage is currently $11.91/hour. It increases to $13.00/hour on July 1, 2025. 

Further increases are scheduled:

• $14.00/hr on July 1, 2026
• $15.00/hr on July 1, 2027

A long list of workers is exempt from Alaska’s minimum wage and overtime laws. They include:

• Agricultural employees.
• Domestic workers in private homes, for example, babysitters. 
• Employees in executive, administrative, or professional roles (as long as they receive 2 times the minimum wage for the first 40 hours of work each week).
• Outside salespersons.
• Computer and software workers.
• Employees under 18 years who work less than 30 hours a week.

Other workers are exempt from Alaska’s minimum wage requirement, including:

• Apprentices.
• Learner employees.
• Certain employees at non-profit residential summer camps who work for less than 12 weeks a year.
• Work therapy employees.
• School bus drivers (they must receive at least twice the minimum wage).

Tipped Minimum Wage

Employers can’t use tips as credits towards paying employees the minimum wage. In other words, employers must pay employees the full minimum wage, and any tips employees receive are in addition to this. 

Overtime Laws

Employees who work more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week must be paid overtime at 1.5 times their regular hourly wage for these additional hours. Private employers can’t offer their employees comp time instead of overtime pay. 

Alaska’s overtime provisions apply only to employers with 4 or more employees. 

The first list of exceptions to the minimum wage discussed above also applies to overtime. This means employees such as agricultural employees, domestic workers, or those in executive, administrative, or professional roles aren’t entitled to overtime. 

Other specific employees are exempt from overtime, including:

• Certain employees working for small mining operations.
• Certain switchboard operators.
• Seamen.
• Hospital employees who provide medical services.

Other exemptions to overtime exist, including work performed under approved voluntary flexible work hour plans, which allow employees to work up to 10 hours a day without incurring overtime if they don’t exceed 40 hours in a week.

Meal and Rest Breaks

Breaks aren’t mandatory for adult workers in Alaska. Under federal law, where employers choose to provide them, short breaks (less than 20 minutes) must be paid. 

Minors aged 14 to 17 must have a 30-minute break for every 6 consecutive hours they work. This break must be after the first 1.5 hours of their shift but before the last hour. 

Recordkeeping Requirements

Employers must keep records of the following for a minimum of 3 years:

• Employees’ names, addresses, and occupations.
• Their pay rates and the amounts they received each pay period.
• Employees’ daily and weekly hours.

Scheduling Laws

Alaska currently has no predictive scheduling laws at the state or local level. 

Employee Compensation and Benefits

Reporting Time Pay

Employers must pay employees for time worked. No laws require employers to pay employees for attending a shift and being sent home early. 

Payday Frequency and Method

An employer and employee can agree to monthly pay periods in an annual initial employment contract. Otherwise, the employee can choose to be paid monthly or semi-monthly. 

Paystub Requirements

Employers must give employees a paystub for each pay period detailing:

• Start and end dates of the pay period.
• Number of hours worked, specifying regular hours and overtime.
• Rate of pay.
• Gross pay.
• Deductions.
• Net pay (gross pay minus deductions).

Wage Deductions and Garnishments

Employers can make specific deductions from employees’ pay, including:

• Legally required deductions, like taxes. 
• Repayments for cash shortages, stolen, missing, or lost property (only where the employee freely admits in writing to taking the cash or property). 
• Repayments for loans made by the employer to the employee (with the employee’s written permission). 
• Repayments for loans made by a third party to the employee (with the employee’s written permission). 

These deductions can’t reduce an employee’s pay so that they earn below the minimum wage or lose overtime. 

Federal limits for wage garnishments generally apply in Alaska. The maximum amount creditors can garnish from employees’ wages is 25% of their disposable earnings or the portion of weekly disposable earnings that exceeds 30 times the minimum wage (whichever is less). 

Under state law, employees subject to wage garnishments can protect the following amounts from being taken by creditors:

• $473 a week
• $743 a week (if the individual provides an affidavit stating they are the sole household income earner)

The amount of wages protected from garnishment can also be increased if the money the employee has is from a payment relating to a disability or injury. 

Final Paycheck Laws

In cases where an employee leaves, the employer must pay them by their next regular payday (at least 3 days after they give notice). If an employee is terminated, the employer has 3 working days to pay them. 

Employers who fail to pay on time may be liable for penalties. This penalty is equal to the employee’s regular daily wages for each day the payment is late or wages for up to 90 working days—whichever is less. 

Workers’ Compensation

Alaskan employers with 1 or more employees must take out workers’ compensation insurance—or be self-insured, if approved by the Alaska Workers’ Compensation Board (AWCB). Employers must also file reports with the AWCB by March 1 each year. 

Workers’ compensation provides financial benefits to workers who are injured or become ill due to a work-related incident—or to their families if the worker dies as a result of the incident. 

Most employees are covered by workers’ compensation, with some limited and specific exceptions—for example, for part-time baby-sitters, commercial fishers, and certain real estate agents. 

Benefits available to injured or unwell workers include:

• Medical benefits cover medical expenses for up to 2 years after an injury (longer in certain circumstances). 
• Temporary total disability is paid until the individual is medically recovered or can return to work. 
• Temporary partial disability—where a worker returns to work but works less than a full day or earns less than they did before their injury—is paid until the individual is medically recovered or up to 5 years. 
• Permanent total disability—where an individual can’t work regularly and continuously due to their injury—is paid until their disability ends or their death. 
• Permanent partial impairment is a lump sum payment to compensate a worker for losing a body part or body function. 
• Death benefits include lump sum payments for funeral expenses and to the family, as well as weekly benefits to the family. 

Individuals can use the Division of Workers’ Compensation benefits calculator to estimate the benefits they’ll receive. 

As of January 1, 2025, an individual must report injuries or illnesses to their employer in writing within 15 days of the incident or of discovering their illness or injury. They can do this by completing this form. 

An employer then has 10 days to report the injury or illness to the AWCB and their insurer to determine whether to pay workers’ compensation. 

If an insurer denies a workers’ compensation claim, the employee can dispute this by submitting a claim to the Division for adjudication. Workers have 2 years after an insurer refuses their claim to do this. 

Parties can try to resolve the dispute through mediation. Alternatively, a 3-member panel hears and decides the claim. 

Unemployment Insurance

Alaska’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development oversees its unemployment insurance (UI) program. 

Individuals can file for UI benefits online. Telephone filing is also available. When filing, applicants must provide various details, including their:

• Social Security Number.
• Evidence of their right to work (non-citizens only).
• Contact details for their most recent employer.
• Wage information.

To be eligible for UI benefits, individuals must:

• Have received wages during their base period (an 18-month period used to determine UI eligibility).
• Have received at least $2,500 across 2 calendar quarters of their base period.
• Be able and willing to find full-time employment.
• Be actively looking for work opportunities and report their efforts as required.

The UI program pays individuals between $56 and $370 weekly, depending on their wage history. Depending on circumstances, individuals can access benefits for up to 16 or 26 weeks. 

Additional benefits ($24 a week per child) may also be available to individuals with up to 3 dependent children. 

Workplace Rights and Protections

Discrimination and Harassment

The Alaska Human Rights Law applies to any employer with 1 or more employees. It prohibits employers from discriminating against candidates and employees on the basis of the following characteristics under any circumstances:

• Race
• Religion
• Color
• National origin

The law also prohibits discrimination on the following bases “when the reasonable demands of the position do not require distinction” (i.e., unless there’s a genuine job-related reason for treating someone differently):

• Age
• Physical or mental disability
• Sex
• Pregnancy
• Marital status
• Parenthood 

That said, employers are allowed to offer higher health and retirement benefits to employees with spouses or dependent children without violating the prohibition against discrimination on the basis of marital status or parenthood.

Employers also can’t retaliate against individuals for taking action against discriminatory workplace practices, including filing formal complaints. They’re legally required to pay men and women equally for equal work. 

Employers must also keep confidential records on employees’ ages, sexes, and races for the purposes of state and federal civil rights laws. 

Failure to comply with these laws can result in fines of up to $500 and/or up to 30 days imprisonment. 

The Alaska State Commission for Human Rights is responsible for enforcing the Alaska Human Rights Law. 

Individuals who believe they’ve been discriminated against can file a complaint with the Commission. They have 300 days after the alleged discrimination to do so. 

The Commission has a work-sharing agreement with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). When filing a complaint with one agency, a complainant can also ask for it to be filed in the other. 

Keep in mind, however, that the EEOC can deal only with discrimination complaints relating to employers with 15 or more employees (20 or more in the case of age discrimination), whereas state anti-discrimination law applies to any employer with at least 1 employee. 

After the Commission receives a complaint, it investigates it. At the start of its investigation, the Commission holds a resolution conference between the parties to resolve the matter. If the matter can’t be resolved, the Commission makes a determination. 

If the Commission finds that the employer discriminated against the complainant, the matter goes to conciliation. 

During conciliation, the Commission asks the employer to take certain steps to remedy the discrimination, such as stopping the discrimination and undertaking anti-discrimination training. If conciliation is unsuccessful, the Commission has the power to refer the matter for a public hearing. 

Some local areas, like Anchorage, have their own equal or human rights commissions where employees can file discrimination complaints. 

Leave Laws

❌ Family and Medical Leave	Only public employees are covered by the Alaska Family Leave Act, which offers up to 18 weeks of leave for specific family and medical reasons. Private employees may be eligible for unpaid leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) if they work for an employer with 50 or more employees within 75 miles.  To be eligible, they must have worked for the employer for at least 12 months and 1,250 hours in the last year.  The FMLA offers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for: • Employees’ own serious health conditions. • Employees to care for family members with a serious health condition. • The birth or placement of a child. • Situations arising from a family member’s active duty.
✅ Paid Sick Leave	From July 1, 2025, employees are entitled to paid sick leave, accrued at a rate of at least 1 hour of sick leave for each 30 hours worked.  Employees can use this leave for: • Tending to their own injury or illness. • Caring for an injured or ill family member. • Receiving support and legal assistance if they’re victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.  Employers with fewer than 15 employees must allow them to use, at a minimum, up to 40 hours of sick leave annually. Larger employers must allow workers to use up to 56 hours each year.  Sick leave accruals roll over into the next year.  Employers can require workers to provide proof of their illness for leave longer than 3 consecutive days.  Some employees are exempt from accruing paid sick leave, including: • Employees exempt from minimum wage and overtime requirements under AS 23.10.055. • Minor employees who work under 30 hours a week. • Apprentices who are exempt from the minimum wage. • Seasonal workers at non-profit residential summer camps.
❌ Paid Family Leave	Paid family leave isn’t mandatory for private employees in Alaska (only state employees).  Private employees may be eligible for unpaid FMLA leave for this purpose.
❌ Pregnancy and Parental Leave	No laws require employers to provide employees with pregnancy or parental leave.  Employees may be able to access unpaid FMLA leave for these purposes.
❌ Vacation and Personal Leave	Alaskan employers don’t have to provide employees with paid vacation or personal leave. Where they choose to do so, they should follow the employment contract terms.

Military, Jury Duty, and Other Mandatory Leave

There are several other types of mandatory leave in Alaska.

Military Leave	Private employees who are members of the Alaska National Guard, Alaska Naval Militia, or Alaska State Defense Force who are called to active service are entitled to a job-protected leave of absence. This leave doesn’t have to be paid.
Jury Duty Leave	Employers can’t penalize employees who serve as jury members. Employers aren’t required to pay employees while on jury duty.
Voting Leave	Employers must give employees paid time off to vote unless the employee has 2 consecutive hours outside of work hours to vote.
Organ or Bone Marrow Donation Leave	Leave related to donating an organ or bone marrow is mandatory only for public employees.
Victim of Crime Leave	It’s illegal for employers to penalize a crime victim for attending court to give evidence. Leave for this reason doesn’t have to be paid.

Child Labor Laws

Generally speaking, the minimum working age in Alaska is 14. However, younger people are allowed to work:

• As newspaper salespeople or couriers.
• As babysitters or other domestic employees in private homes.
• In the entertainment industry (this requires a work permit).

A child aged 14-16 must have a permit from the Department of Labor to work in Alaska. Seventeen-year-olds who work for restaurants with liquor licenses must also apply for work permits. 

Minors are entitled to a 30-minute break for every 6 consecutive hours they work. This break must be after the first 1.5 hours of their shift but before the last hour. 

The following restrictions apply to the hours minors can work and the type of work they can do:

	14 and 15-year-olds	16 and 17-year-olds
When school is in session	• Total daily school and work hours can’t be more than 9 hours • Can work up to 23 hours a week • Can work only between 5am and 9pm	• Can’t work more than 6 days a week
Vacation periods	• Can work up to 40 hours per week • Can only work between 5am and 9pm
Limits on types of work	15 prohibited occupations in addition to the 19 that apply to all minors under 17 (see the next column), including: • Manufacturing or processing • Using power-driven machinery • Construction (except for administrative work) • Using sharpened tools	19 prohibited occupations (apply to all minors aged 17 or under), including: • Working with explosives • Mining • Meat slaughter or packing • Excavation • Roofing

Workplace Safety and Health

Alaska Occupational Safety and Health (AKOSH) oversees the state’s occupational safety and health plan. Alaska’s laws largely adopt the federal Occupational Health and Safety Act (OSHA) guidelines. 

Employers’ obligations include:

• Providing employees with a safe working environment free from known or foreseeable hazards.
• Complying with AKOSH rules and regulations.
• Reporting any accidents that result in amputation, inpatient hospitalization, loss of an eye, or death to AKOSH immediately within 8 hours.

As of February 1, 2025, the maximum penalties for AKOSH violations have increased.

Workers must comply with any safety and health laws and regulations. Employees are protected from retaliation by employers for exercising their rights under OSHA. 

They also have the right to file complaints so AKOSH can investigate potential workplace safety and health violations. Workers can do this online, in person, or by mail, email, fax, or telephone. 

Labor Union Regulations

Alaska isn’t a right-to-work state, meaning employees can be forced to join a union and pay union fees as a condition of their employment. 

Regarding public employees, the Alaska Labor Relations Agency administers the state’s Public Employment Relations Act. 

The federal National Labor Relations Act applies to private employees in Alaska. This gives employees the right to form and join unions, enter into collective bargaining agreements, and strike. 

Employment Contracts and Severance

Employment Contract Laws

Alaska is an at-will employment state, meaning employers and employees can terminate the employment relationship at any time, for any legal reason. 

Non-compete agreements are enforceable only if they’re reasonable and necessary to protect a legitimate business interest. This includes whether they’re reasonable and necessary:

• In duration.
• In geographic scope.
• When considering the nature of the employee’s role.

Non-solicitation and non-disclosure agreements aren’t prohibited in Alaska, but similar considerations apply. 

Severance Pay

Severance pay isn’t mandatory in Alaska. 

Additional Laws That Might Apply to You

Workplace drug and alcohol testing

Employers are free to choose whether to conduct workplace drug and alcohol testing.  Employers who choose to do so must follow specific requirements. These include having a written policy with specific inclusions, telling prospective employees about their testing policy, and ensuring employees have access to the policy.  If employers follow these requirements, they’re generally protected from legal action by employees relating to their drug testing program.

Legal Resources for Employers and Employees

To learn more about your rights and obligations under Alaska’s labor laws, visit the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This website offers various resources for employers and employees, including guides, factsheets, and FAQs. 

For employees, pro bono attorneys answer questions regarding various topics, including Alaska employment law, on the American Bar Association’s Free Legal Answers. The Alaska Legal Services Corporation may also be able to provide free or low-cost advice and legal representation about labor law issues. The Alaska Bar Association also offers free legal clinics throughout the year. 

Disclaimer

The information presented on this website about labor laws in Alaska is a summary for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. However, laws and regulations regularly change and may vary depending on individual circumstances. While we have made every effort to ensure the information provided is up to date and reliable, we cannot guarantee its completeness, accuracy, or applicability to your specific situation. Therefore, we strongly recommend that readers seek guidance from their legal department or a qualified attorney to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. Please note that we cannot be held liable for any actions taken or not taken based on the information presented on this website.