A Texas employment contract establishes a working relationship between an employer and an employee. It details elements such as how much the employee will be paid, the employee’s job responsibilities, duration of employment, and any additional provisions the employer may want to include, such as a confidentiality clause.
In Texas, all contracts are governed by common law, meaning that all these documents must contain mutual assent, a valid offer, valid acceptance, adequate consideration, capable parties, and legality [1] .
Defines a working relationship between an independent contractor and a client.
Outlines the arrangement between a contractor and a subcontractor.
Protects a business by preventing an employee from completing work for a competitor.
You need to know the Texas labor laws and regulations before moving forward with your Texas employment contract.
Texas is an at-will employment state. There are also exceptions to the at-will employment rules.
Texas doesn’t have a state-specific minimum wage, so employers must pay their employees the current federal minimum wage of $7.25/hour [2] .
For minors to work under Texas law, employment certificates are not required. Age certification is also not required. However, on request, an age certificate must be provided for minors under 18.
It’s illegal to employ a child under the age of 14 in Texas unless it’s within the entertainment industry and the parent has obtained authorization from the Texas Workforce Commission. 14- and 15-year-olds are prohibited from working in dangerous occupations, such as demolition, repair, warehousing, and mining [3] .
Employees exempt from the overtime provisions of the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must be paid at least once a month in Texas. Other employees must be paid at least twice a month.
Texas does not require minimum paid rest or meal periods.
Employers must retain employees’ payroll records and unemployment records for at least four years [4] . Some other recordkeeping requirements Texas employers should know include the following:
Download a Texas employment contract template below in PDF or Word format.
