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Federal minimum wage 2026

$7.25 an hour, or $2.13 for tipped workers when tips make up the rest. It applies wherever a state has no minimum wage or a lower one. Below: how to tell if a slow week still left you short.

In effect on November 4, 2026

Minimum wage$7.25/hSince July 24, 2009
Tipped cash wage$2.13/hTip credit up to $5.12 an hour
40-hour week$290.00At the minimum wage, before tax

Federal minimum wage per day, week, month and year

Full time at the federal minimum wage ($7.25), before tax, without tips or overtime. A month is the year divided by 12 (52 weeks of 40 hours).
HoursPay
Per hour1$7.25
Per day8$58.00
Per week40$290.00
Every two weeks80$580.00
Per month173.3$1,256.67
Per year2,080$15,080.00

With a tip credit, your employer can pay you $2.13 an hour, but your wages plus tips have to reach $7.25 for every hour you work that week: $290.00 for a 40-hour week.

Will the federal minimum wage go up in 2027?

No increase has been passed. It has been $7.25 since July 24, 2009, and only Congress can change it.

How the tip credit works

Employers under federal law can pay tipped workers $2.13 an hour as long as your wages plus tips for the workweek come to at least $7.25 for every hour worked. If they don’t, the employer has to pay the difference.

For example, 30 hours at $2.13 comes to $63.90. With $100.00 in tips, you’d have $163.90. The minimum for 30 hours is $217.50, so your employer owes you $53.60.

Try it with your own numbers.

Overtime

Under federal law, hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at time and a half (1.5 times your regular rate): at the federal minimum, at least $10.88 an hour. Federal law has no daily overtime: a 12-hour double only gets you overtime if it takes your week past 40 hours. A few states, like California, do.

With a tip credit, your employer still has to pay you at least $5.76 in cash wages for each overtime hour: $10.88 minus the $5.12 tip credit. How overtime works with tips.

PayJar applies weekly overtime from the start and lets you turn on daily overtime and double time. Add up your week’s hours and overtime in the time card calculator.

Questions

What is the federal minimum wage in 2026?
$7.25 an hour, in effect on November 4, 2026.
What is the federal tipped minimum wage?
$2.13 an hour, as long as your wages plus tips for the week reach $7.25 for every hour worked. Otherwise the employer makes up the difference.
What is the minimum wage in the United States?
The federal minimum is $7.25 an hour, but 30 states have a higher one, and DC has the highest of all: $18.40. If your state’s minimum is higher, that’s the one your employer has to pay.
How much is the federal minimum wage per month?
$1,256.67 a month working 40 hours a week, before tax. That’s $290.00 a week and $15,080.00 a year.
Will the federal minimum wage go up in 2027?
No increase has been passed. It has been $7.25 since July 24, 2009, and only Congress can change it.
Is the minimum wage before or after taxes?
Before. It’s your gross pay per hour; the taxes withheld from your check come out of it.
What can I do if I’m paid less than the minimum?
Keep your pay stubs and a record of your hours. Call the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division at 1-866-487-9243: it’s free and confidential, and help is available in more than 200 languages. You can also file with your state labor department.
Does the minimum wage apply if I’m undocumented?
Yes. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division “enforces the law without regard to an employee’s immigration status,” and all complaints are confidential.

Other states

See every state in one table

General information, not legal advice. Your state labor department has the final word, and some cities, counties and industries have higher minimums.

Sources

Stop wondering if your check is right.

PayJar knows your state’s minimum wage and tipped wage. Log your shifts and tips, and it tells you when a week comes up short.

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