Alabama Minimum Wage 2026
Current year
The 2026 Alabama Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in Alabama covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act. Because the Department of Labor's table records no state minimum wage law for Alabama, the rate on this page reaches the state through the federal act rather than through a state statute, and the entry says nothing about an employer outside that federal coverage. The entry carries no employer-size condition, no premium pay line and no annual adjustment, and the table does not display subminimum rates for minors, students or trainees, or any higher rate set by a local government.
What changed this year, and why
The U.S. Department of Labor's table of state minimum wage laws, updated July 1, 2026, records no state minimum wage law in Alabama. The Alabama entry states instead that employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and that is the figure published here. No earlier year of this record is published on this site, so this page states no year-over-year change.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Alabama in 2026?
- $7.25 per hour. The U.S. Department of Labor's State Minimum Wage Laws table, in the version updated July 1, 2026, records no state minimum wage law for Alabama and states that employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour. The figure published here is taken from that entry and from nothing else.
- Does Alabama have its own state minimum wage law?
- No. The Department of Labor's table records the absence of one in so many words: the Alabama entry opens by stating that there is no state minimum wage law. Where other states' entries begin with a basic minimum rate set by state statute, Alabama's points instead to the federal requirement carried by the Fair Labor Standards Act, and sets no state-level rate of its own.
- Which employers in Alabama have to pay the minimum wage?
- The entry names employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, and nothing narrower. It attaches no employer-size condition, unlike the entries the same table opens with a coverage line for several other states, and it says nothing about an employer falling outside federal coverage. Whether a particular employer is subject to that act is settled by the act, which this table does not set out.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage for Alabama?
- The Department of Labor's state table publishes no separate cash wage for tipped employees in its Alabama entry, so this page publishes none. The same table states that differential provisions are not displayed in it, naming subminimum rates for minors and students and training wages for new hires as examples of what it leaves out. The absence of such a line here is a fact about the table, not a statement that no such provision exists.
- Will the Alabama minimum wage change in 2026?
- The Department of Labor's table lists no scheduled change for Alabama and carries no dated step in its entry. Because the entry ties the state to the current Federal minimum wage under the Fair Labor Standards Act, a change here would follow a change in that federal rate. Anything taking effect after the table's July 1, 2026 update would not appear on this page until the table is republished and this record verified against it again.
- Do city or county minimum wages in Alabama override the state rate?
- The Department of Labor's table does not answer that. It notes only that some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage, and that such differential provisions are not displayed in the table. The figure on this page is what the Alabama entry records for the state as a whole, so a local ordinance would sit outside what this source shows.
- Is the Alabama minimum wage adjusted each year?
- The table states an annual adjustment formula inside the entry itself for several states. The Alabama entry contains no such statement, and it records no state minimum wage law that could carry one. This page therefore makes no claim about how or when the rate is recalculated, because the source document says nothing on the point.
- Where does the $7.25 figure on this page come from?
- From the Wage and Hour Division's State Minimum Wage Laws table at dol.gov, in the snapshot captured for this record, where the Alabama entry gives the current Federal minimum wage as $7.25 per hour for employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act. The division notes on the same page that it tries to keep the information accurate and that individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Minimum wage pay calculator takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is the baseline that applies to covered employers nationwide. However, the Fair Labor Standards Act and many state laws create exceptions that allow certain workers to be paid a rate lower than the standard minimum. States may authorize subminimum wages for particular categories of workers - most commonly minors (young workers who have not yet reached a specified age threshold) and students (including full-time learners in certain work-study or learner positions). In addition, some states provide a training wage for new hires, meaning an employer may pay a reduced rate during an employee's initial training period. Because these subminimum provisions vary widely by jurisdiction and by the type of work being performed, the state-by-state table on this page does not list them. Workers and employers who need to know whether a lower rate is permitted for a given employee should review the rules of the state in which the work is performed and, where applicable, confirm with the state's labor office.
Some states set subminimum rates for minors and/or students or exempt them from coverage or have a training wage for new hires.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
The state-by-state minimum wages shown on this page reflect each state's general floor, but they are not always the highest rate an employer must pay. Many cities, counties, and other local jurisdictions have enacted their own minimum wage laws that set a rate higher than the state minimum. When a local rate exceeds the state rate, employers in that locality are generally required to pay the higher local rate to covered workers. Because local minimum wages vary by city or county and can change frequently, this page does not display them in the state table. Workers and employers who need to know the minimum wage that applies at a specific work location should check whether the city or county where the work is performed has its own minimum wage ordinance, in addition to the state and federal rules.
Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
The table on this page lists, for many states, a threshold of daily or weekly hours after which premium pay is required. The footnote to the table explains how that premium is calculated: once an employee works more than the designated number of hours, each additional hour must be paid at one and one-half times the employee's regular rate. This is the standard overtime premium under the Fair Labor Standards Act, which requires overtime pay for hours worked beyond a standard workweek unless a state sets a different daily or weekly trigger. The footnote also notes that the rate may differ where another rule applies, so the one-and-one-half multiplier is the default but not absolute. For a state listed in the table, the specific daily or weekly hour threshold shown next to that state's entry tells the reader when the overtime premium begins. The verified federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour is the base on which the overtime premium is calculated for employees paid at the federal floor.
The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The Wage and Hour Division maintains the state minimum wage table on this page, but the information is provided as a reference and the division recommends that individuals confirm the rules that apply to their specific situation. Because state and local wage laws change frequently and may contain special provisions for particular industries, workers and employers with questions about a specific rate should consult the relevant state labor office for official information. State labor offices can provide authoritative guidance on which minimum wage applies, whether any exemptions or subminimum rates are available, and how overtime rules operate in that jurisdiction. If a worker believes an employer has failed to pay the correct minimum wage or required overtime, the state labor office or the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division is the appropriate place to raise a wage complaint.
The Wage and Hour Division tries to ensure that the information on this page is accurate, but individuals should consult the relevant state labor office for official information.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Alabama has no minimum wage law of its own, which does not mean there is no minimum wage in Alabama. The Fair Labor Standards Act reaches most employment directly, and an employer subject to it must pay the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour whatever the state does. That is the rate on this page, and it is federal law rather than Alabama law that puts it there. The practical difference shows up at the edges. A worker whose employer is genuinely outside the FLSA has no state floor to fall back on, where a worker in a state with its own law would. And a complaint about it is a federal complaint: the Wage and Hour Division enforces it, because there is no Alabama statute to enforce.
Alabama No state minimum wage law. Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
How each figure was verified
Each number below was read from a stored copy of the document named beside it, and checked to occur word for word in the quoted sentence. The digest is of that stored text.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
- Hourly
Alabama No state minimum wage law. Employers subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act must pay the current Federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.