Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies
(a) For purposes of this regulation, "board" means food furnished in the form of meals on a regularly established schedule. "Lodging" means housing facility (available to him at all hours of the day) wherein the employee sleeps, rests and may store clothing and personal belongings.
(b) Wages paid to any employee may include the reasonable value of board or lodging as herein established and may be considered as part of the minimum fair wage if such condition is made known to and accepted by the employee at the time of hiring or change of classification as a usual condition of employment. In accordance with the foregoing: An allowance or deduction of not more than eighty-five cents for a full meal and forty-five cents for a light meal will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage, provided such allowance or deduction shall be made in accordance with the hiring agreement which provides for such an allowance or deduction.
(c) A full meal shall provide to the employee a variety of wholesome nutritious food and shall include adequate portions of at least one of the types of food from four of the following groups: (1) Fruit juice or soup; (2) fruit or vegetables; (3) bread, cereal or potatoes; (4) eggs, meat, fish (or a recognized substitute); (5) beverage; (6) dessert.
(d) For a meal which does not meet the qualifications of a full meal, as herein defined, but does provide to the employee adequate portions of wholesome nutritious food, and does include one of the types of food from at least three of the following groups, an allowance not to exceed thirty-five cents will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage: (1) Fruit, fruit juice, soup; (2) cereal, bread (or a recognized substitute); (3) eggs, meat, fish, including sandwiches made thereof (or a recognized substitute); (4) dessert; (5) beverage.
(e) No allowance or deduction in excess of one dollar and eighty cents a day for full meals as supplied, or in excess of seventy cents for light meals, as supplied, will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage. In any case where full meals are made available to the employee by the employer, the allowance of sixty cents for a full meal as defined will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage. In such a case the employee may not elect the light meal in lieu of the full meal. Allowances or deductions may be made only for meals consistent with the employee's work shift when the employee is on duty, and only for meals consistent with a regular meal schedule when the employee is off duty.
(f) An allowance or deduction of not more than four dollars a week for a private room, or of not more than three dollars a week for a room shared with others, will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage, provided the allowance or deduction shall be made in accordance with a hiring agreement which provides for such an allowance or deduction. An allowance or deduction for lodging will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage only when the facility supplied conforms to reasonable specifications with respect to size, privacy, sanitation, heat, light and ventilation. All such facilities shall be open to inspection by an authorized representative of the labor commissioner at any reasonable time. When housing consisting of more than one room is provided for the employee and such circumstances are established in the hiring agreement, the labor commissioner shall establish a reasonable allowance for such housing and in establishing such allowance as it should apply in terms of part I of chapter 558 of the general statutes shall be guided by the prevailing rentals for similar quarters including those authorized by the local housing authority in privately or publicly financed housing. No allowances or deductions will be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage when an employee is required to share a bed.
(g) Any deduction for board or lodging not conforming to the conditions herein set forth leaves the employer liable under those sections of statute forbidding the payment to the employee of a wage less than that due him because of his services.
(Amended January 4, 2001)