2020 Arkansas Minimum Wage
The 2020 Arkansas Minimum Wage is $10.
Effective 2020-01-01Source: Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2019
| Item | 2019 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $9.25 | $10 | +$0.75 (+8.1%) |
Who it applies to
Employers in Arkansas covered under the Arkansas Minimum Wage Act
What changed this year, and why
The Arkansas state minimum wage increased to $10.00 per hour on January 1, 2020, up from $9.25 per hour in 2019.
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
The Arkansas Minimum Wage Act includes exemptions from both minimum wage and overtime requirements for certain employees, while other employees may be exempt only from overtime. The specific categories of workers who qualify for these exemptions are detailed in the agency's regulations. Arkansas employers and employees should consult the Arkansas Department of Labor's regulations to determine whether a particular position qualifies for an exemption from overtime pay requirements. Workers in Arkansas who believe they should be receiving overtime pay but are not should review the exemption criteria or contact the department for guidance on whether their employer is correctly applying these provisions.
The Arkansas Minimum Wage Act exempts some employees from both the minimum wage requirement and from the overtime pay requirement. Some employees are exempt only from the overtime pay requirement.
Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The Arkansas Department of Labor administers the state's minimum wage law. The department is located at 10421 West Markham in Little Rock, Arkansas. Workers and employers in Arkansas can contact the department at 501-682-4500 for information about minimum wage requirements. The department also provides a TTY number at 800-285-1131 for hearing-impaired callers. Arkansas employees who believe their employer is not paying the required minimum wage of $10 per hour should contact the department to file a complaint or seek guidance on their rights under state law.
ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 10421 WEST MARKHAM LITTLE ROCK, AR 72205-2190 Phone: 501-682-4500 Fax: 501-682-4506 TRS: 800-285-1131
Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Under Arkansas law, tipped employees may be paid a base wage of $2.63 per hour, but only if their tips are sufficient to bring their total earnings up to at least $10 per hour. This is known as the tip credit. If an employee's tips combined with the $2.63 hourly base do not reach $10, the employer must make up the difference. The tip credit amount itself did not change with the voter-approved minimum wage increase, but because the applicable minimum wage rose to $10, the gap between the cash wage and the required minimum is now larger, meaning employers must monitor whether tipped workers are actually receiving enough in tips to meet the $10 floor. Workers in Arkansas who earn tips should track their hourly tip income and confirm that their employer is paying them at least the full state minimum wage once tips are included.
The state tip credit did not change, so tipped employees must still be paid a minimum of $2.63 per hour and tips must be sufficient to raise the employee to the applicable minimum wage rate.
Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
In Arkansas, when the state minimum wage is lower than the federal rate, the federal minimum wage applies to covered employers. Under the rule that an employer subject to both laws must pay the highest minimum wage, a lower state figure cannot reduce what a worker receives below the federal floor. The source document does not describe any limited exceptions to this principle. In practice, because Arkansas set its 2020 rate at $10 per hour, the higher state figure was the one that governed.
An employer covered by both laws must pay the highest minimum wage.
Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)
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.
Fact Sheet on the Increase of the Arkansas Minimum Wage (Arkansas Department of Labor)
- Hourly
$10.00 per hour effective January 1, 2020; and
Other years
Every Arkansas Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state