2017 Hawaii Minimum Wage
The 2017 Hawaii Minimum Wage is $9.25.
Effective 2017-01-01Source: Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)Verified 2026-08-31
Compared with 2016
| Item | 2016 | 2017 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $8.50 | $9.25 | +$0.75 (+8.8%) |
Who it applies to
Employees covered by the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law (Chapter 387, Hawaii Revised Statutes)
What changed this year, and why
Hawaii's state minimum hourly wage increased to $9.25 on January 1, 2017, up from $8.50 in 2016.
Common questions
- What was Hawaii's minimum wage in 2017?
- $9.25 per hour, effective January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017.
- Did tipped employees have a different rate?
- Yes. Under certain conditions, tipped employees could be paid less per hour than the standard minimum wage, provided that wages plus tips together equaled at least a set amount more per hour than the minimum wage rate.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
Hawaii allows a tip credit, so employers may pay tipped workers slightly below the $9.25 hourly minimum when the employee's tips make up the difference. The statute caps the shortfall at 75 cents per hour and requires that the combined total of cash wage plus tips still reach at least $7 above the minimum rate. This is the only category of worker the state poster identifies as eligible to be paid less than the full minimum, and it applies to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips. Minors, students in training programs, and workers in other special subminimum categories are not mentioned in this notice, so an employer in Hawaii who wants to pay one of those groups a lower rate must look to a separate authorization from the Wage Standards Division rather than rely on this poster.
TIP CREDIT - Under certain conditions, "tipped employees" may be paid up to twenty-five cents less per hour; effective January 1, 2015, up to 50 cents less per hour; and effective January 1, 2016, up to 75 cents less per hour (if wages + tips equal $7 more per hour than minimum wage rate).
Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Employees in Hawaii who have questions about the minimum wage, or who believe they have been underpaid, should contact the nearest office of the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division. The department has offices on Oahu (Honolulu), Kauai (Lihue), Maui (Wailuku), and the island of Hawaii (Hilo and Kealakekua), and each office takes wage complaints. Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law the department may recover back wages for employees who have been underpaid, either through its own administrative process or by filing a court action. The notice containing the current rate must be posted by employers in a place accessible to employees, and it can also be viewed on the department's web site at www.hawaii.gov/labor.
ENFORCEMENT: The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations may recover back wages, either administratively or through court action, for employees who have been underpaid. FOR MORE INFORMATION contact the nearest Department of Labor office:
Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Hawaii's minimum wage of $9.25 per hour in 2017 is the state floor, but it operates alongside the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. For workers in Hawaii who are covered by both laws, the employer must pay whichever rate is higher. Because Hawaii's $9.25 exceeds the federal rate, the state figure controls for those employees. The two laws run together rather than one replacing the other: a Hawaii worker remains covered by federal law, but whenever the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law sets a higher standard, that higher standard is what the employer must meet. The state also requires employers in Hawaii to maintain time records so compliance with both sets of rules can be verified.
Minimum wage under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law also applies to employment covered by the federal wage and hour law (Fair Labor Standards Act) when Hawaii standards are higher than the federal law.
Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Hawaii allows employers, under certain conditions, to pay "tipped employees" a cash wage that is less than the full $9.25 minimum. For 2017 the tip credit is up to 75 cents per hour, so the employer's cash payment can be reduced by that amount, provided that the cash wage plus actual tips together equal at least $7 more per hour than the minimum wage rate. If tips in any pay period fall short, the employer must make up the difference so the employee still receives the full state minimum. The authority for this credit is Section 387-2 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Workers in Hawaii who believe their employer is not correctly applying the tip credit—or who are not receiving at least $9.25 an hour when wages and tips are combined—can contact the Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division, to file a complaint.
TIP CREDIT - Under certain conditions, "tipped employees" may be paid up to twenty-five cents less per hour; effective January 1, 2015, up to 50 cents less per hour; and effective January 1, 2016, up to 75 cents less per hour (if wages + tips equal $7 more per hour than minimum wage rate).
Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)
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.
Notice to Employees Under the Hawaii Wage and Hour Law, HWHL-1 (Rev. 06/14) (Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Wage Standards Division)
- Hourly
$9.25 per hour effective January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2017
Other years
Every Hawaii Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state