Federal Minimum Wage 2026
Current year
The 2026 Federal Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: Minimum Wage (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Compared with 2025
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2025.
| Item | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Workers covered by both federal and state minimum wage laws are entitled to the higher of the two rates.
What changed this year, and why
The federal minimum wage for 2026 is $7.25 per hour under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).
Common questions
- What is the federal minimum wage for 2026?
- The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour for 2026.
- What if my state has a different minimum wage?
- Many states have their own minimum wage laws. When both federal and state laws apply, employers must pay the higher of the two rates.
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.
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
The federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets the minimum wage floor but does not create a procedure for employees to collect wages that exceed what the FLSA requires, such as higher promised wages or commissions. If a worker believes an employer owes wages beyond the federal minimum, the FLSA itself does not offer a claims process for those amounts. However, many states have their own labor laws that allow employees to file claims for unpaid wages, and in some cases those state laws also cover fringe benefits. Workers who have a wage complaint should contact their state labor office or state department of labor to learn whether state law provides a remedy. The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division enforces the federal minimum wage, but disputes over wages above that floor often need to be pursued through state channels.
The FLSA does not provide wage payment collection procedures for an employee’s usual or promised wages or commissions in excess of those required by the FLSA. However, some states do have laws under which such claims (sometimes including fringe benefits) may be filed.
Minimum Wage (DOL)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
The $7.25 federal minimum is a floor and not a ceiling, and for most workers in the United States it is not the operative number. Many states set their own minimum wage, some of them well above the federal one, and where a state gives greater protection the employer must comply with both laws - which in practice means paying the higher rate. Nothing in the federal act preempts the more generous state rule; it sets the minimum below which no covered employer may go. Two consequences worth carrying. Your own rate is the highest of the federal, state and local figures that reach your job, so the number to look up is your state's and your city's rather than this one. And a job that pays exactly $7.25 in a state with a higher minimum is not a lawful federal-rate job; it is an underpaid one.
Many states also have minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both.
Minimum Wage (DOL)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
The federal minimum wage in the federal jurisdiction is $7.25 per hour. Many states also set their own minimum wage rates. When a state sets a rate below $7.25, the federal floor controls: a covered employer must still pay at least $7.25 an hour. Where a state sets a higher rate, the employer must pay that higher amount instead. In practice, a worker in a state whose minimum falls short of the federal figure still receives $7.25, because the employer must satisfy both layers of law and the higher of the two rates applies.
Many states also have minimum wage laws. Some state laws provide greater employee protections; employers must comply with both. The FLSA does not provide wage payment collection procedures for an employee’s usual or promised wages or commissions in excess of those required by the FLSA.
Minimum Wage (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.
Minimum Wage (DOL)
- Hourly
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour
By year
Every published year
12 years on record, 2026 back to 2015. Each year links to its own page, its own document and its own verification date.