Pumping Breast Milk at Work: Your Federal Rights Under the PUMP Act

Returning to work after a baby comes with enough stress without worrying about where or when you can pump. Federal law sets a baseline that covers most employees. DOL notes a few exceptions: airline crewmembers are exempt from these protections, and certain rail and motorcoach employees may be exempt if the employer shows compliance would require significant expense or create unsafe conditions.

The core rights

According to DOL Fact Sheet #73, “most nursing employees have the right to reasonable break time and a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view to express breast milk while at work. This right is available for up to one year after the child’s birth.”

How often and how long

Covered employees may take reasonable break time “each time such employee has need to express the milk,” and an employer may not deny a needed break. DOL says the frequency and duration of breaks “will likely vary.” DOL’s fact sheet gives the example of an employee who takes four breaks a day of 25 minutes each.

Is pumping time paid?

DOL says that when using break time to pump, an employee must either be completely relieved from duty or be paid for the break. And when an employer provides paid breaks, an employee who uses that break time to pump “must be compensated in the same way that other employees are compensated for break time.”

Steps to take before you return

• Tell your manager or HR ahead of time, in writing, that you’ll need pumping breaks.
• Ask where the private space is; a bathroom doesn’t qualify.
• Agree on a schedule, but remember the need may change.
• Log the breaks you take and whether you worked during them.

Published October 27, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.

Header image: original graphic by JobPayRaise.com.