Regulations of Connecticut State Agencies
(a) For purposes of this section, "board" means food furnished in the form of meals on a regularly established schedule. "Lodging" means a housing facility (available to him at all hours of the day) wherein the employee sleeps and rests and may store clothing and personal belongings. Wages paid to any employee may include the reasonable value of board and/or lodging as herein established and shall 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.
(b) 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 shall 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). A full meal must 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. 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 forty-five cents shall be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage: (A) Fruit, fruit juice, soup; (B) cereal, bread (or a recognized substitute); (C) eggs, meat, fish, including sandwiches made thereof (or a recognized substitute); (D) dessert; (E) beverage. No allowance (or deduction) in excess of two dollars and fifty-five cents a day for full meals as supplied, or in excess of ninety cents for light meals, as supplied, shall 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 eighty-five cents for a full meal as defined shall 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.
(c) 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, shall 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 shall 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 reasonable allowance for such housing and in establishing such allowances as it should apply in terms of sections 31-58 to 31-69, inclusive, of the Connecticut 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) shall be permitted as part payment of the minimum fair wage when an employee is required to share a bed.
(d) 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.
(See G.S. ยง 31-69.)
(Amended January 4, 2001)