Missouri Employee Handbook Requirements (2026)

The Missouri Human Rights Act (RSMo Chapter 213) is one of the broadest state anti-discrimination statutes in the region, and it applies to employers with just 6 or more employees. That is a dramatically lower threshold than federal Title VII (15 employees) or the ADEA (20 employees).

This means a Missouri company with 8 employees faces state-level discrimination claims that a comparable employer in a neighboring state like Kansas might not. The MHRA covers race, color, religion, national origin, sex, ancestry, age, and disability. Sexual harassment claims fall under the sex discrimination prohibition.

Here is where employers make mistakes:

• Assuming federal thresholds apply. A Missouri employer with 10 employees who thinks they are too small for anti-discrimination law is wrong. The MHRA covers them.
• Not having a written anti-discrimination policy. While the MHRA does not explicitly require a written policy, not having one severely undermines any defense in a discrimination lawsuit. Courts look at whether the employer took reasonable steps to prevent discrimination.
• Missing the damages framework. In 2017, SB 43 changed the MHRA's burden of proof, requiring employees to show that a protected characteristic was the "motivating factor" (not just "a contributing factor") for the adverse action. This raised the bar for plaintiffs, but it does not eliminate employer liability.

The fix: If you have 6+ employees in Missouri, you need a written anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policy in your handbook. Include a complaint procedure, identify who employees should contact, and document that you distributed the policy to all staff.

Sources: RSMo 213.010 (Definitions); RSMo 213.055 (Unlawful Employment Practices); SB 43 (2017, motivating factor standard).

RSMo 290.110 requires that wages of a discharged employee be due and payable immediately on the day of discharge. Not the next payday. Not within a week. The day of discharge.

When employers miss this deadline and the employee makes a written demand for payment, the penalty is severe: wages continue to accrue at the employee's regular rate for up to 60 days. That is double the 30-day cap in states like California.

For a worker earning $20/hour ($160/day), the maximum penalty exposure is $9,600 in continued wages, on top of the actual wages owed. For a salaried employee earning $75,000/year, the 60-day penalty can reach $12,329.

The statute does include a carve-out: it does not apply to employees paid by commission or when an accounting is needed to determine the final amount. But for standard hourly and salaried employees, the immediate-payment requirement is firm.

Where employers get tripped up most often: treating the final paycheck like a normal payroll run. If you terminate an employee on a Wednesday and your next payroll is Friday, you still owe that final check on Wednesday. Running it through Friday's payroll is technically late and triggers the penalty clock.

The fix: Build off-cycle payment capability into your payroll process. For any planned termination, have the final check ready before the meeting. For unexpected separations, have a process to cut a manual check or initiate an immediate direct deposit the same day.

Sources: RSMo 290.110; Missouri Dept. of Labor FAQ on Final Wages.

Missouri voters approved Proposition A in November 2024, and most employers focused on the headline: minimum wage rising to $15.00/hour on January 1, 2026. But Proposition A also included a paid sick leave mandate that many employers overlooked.

Under the new law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide 1 hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to 56 hours per year. Employers with fewer than 15 employees must provide up to 40 hours per year. The sick leave provisions took effect on May 1, 2025.

This represents a significant shift for Missouri, which had no prior state-mandated paid leave of any kind. Employers who updated their pay rates in January 2026 but did not add a sick leave policy in May 2025 have been out of compliance for months.

Key details employers miss:

• Accrual begins on the first day of employment. There is no waiting period before accrual starts.
• Carryover is required. Unused sick leave carries over to the next year, though employers can cap total accrual at 80 hours (56 hours for small employers).
• Retaliation is prohibited. Employers cannot discipline employees for using accrued sick leave.

The fix: If you have not already added a paid sick leave policy to your Missouri handbook, do it now. Update your payroll system to track accrual. Review your attendance policy to make sure it does not penalize employees for using sick leave they are legally entitled to take.

Sources: Missouri Proposition A (2024); Missouri Dept. of Labor, Minimum Wage.

RSMo 115.639 provides that any employee entitled to vote in Missouri may take up to 3 hours of paid time off on election day, provided they do not already have 3 consecutive non-working hours while polls are open. The employer can choose which 3 hours the employee takes, and the employee must request the leave before election day.

This is one of the more generous voting leave provisions in the country. Most states that offer voting leave either make it unpaid or limit it to 1 or 2 hours. Missouri gives 3 hours, paid, and makes employer interference a class four election offense.

The compliance challenge is scheduling. In a presidential or major election year, a large employer could have dozens or hundreds of employees requesting voting leave on the same day. If you designate the wrong 3-hour block, you can create coverage gaps. If you deny the leave outright, you violate the statute.

The statute also creates a gray area around the "3 consecutive non-working hours" exception. If an employee works 7 AM to 4 PM and polls are open 6 AM to 7 PM, they technically have 3 consecutive non-working hours (4 PM to 7 PM) and may not qualify. But if they have a long commute, the effective time available to vote shrinks. Courts have not drawn a bright line on commute time, so the safer approach is to err on the side of granting leave.

The fix: Build a voting leave policy into your handbook. State that employees must request the leave before election day. Designate the hours (beginning or end of shift) to manage scheduling. Track which elections trigger the requirement (primaries count, not just general elections).

Sources: RSMo 115.639; RSMo 115.639 (Justia).