Employers must provide a second meal break of no fewer than 30 minutes for all workdays on which an employee works more than 10 hours. If you work at least 3.5 hours in a day, you are entitled to one rest break.If you work over 6 hours, you are entitled to a second rest break. Meal and rest breaks are legally mandated in the state of California. The laws on meal and rest breaks impose severe penalties for employers. A meal break as per California meal break law refers to an uninterrupted and unpaid period of thirty minutes that workers get to spend on their business. California Law directs that every employer must provide a paid lunch and rest break for all its workers, whether employees or independent contractors. This law stipulates that non-exempt employees are entitled to a thirty-minute meal break if they are working for more than five hours per day. Break timing: Employees are entitled to a 10minute paid rest break for every 4 hours worked or a major fraction thereof. The California Labor codes accord meal breaks for non-exempt employees who work for three and a half hours (or more) in a day.