2026 Kansas Minimum Wage
The 2026 Kansas 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 Kansas covered by the state minimum wage law, a set the entry itself narrows. The Department of Labor records that the State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, so the listed rate is the state law's rate for the employment that act does not reach. No employer-size condition is attached to the rate, 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, lists Kansas's basic minimum rate as $7.25 per hour. The Kansas entry records no dated step later in the year and no annual adjustment formula, and no earlier year of this record is published here, so this page states no year-over-year change.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Kansas in 2026?
- It is $7.25 per hour. That is the basic minimum rate the U.S. Department of Labor lists for Kansas in its State Minimum Wage Laws table, in the version updated July 1, 2026. The figure published here is read from that entry and from nothing else, so it reflects the state rate as the department recorded it on that date.
- Who is covered by the Kansas minimum wage law?
- The department's Kansas entry states one coverage rule and it is an exclusion: the State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. The rate listed for Kansas therefore applies to employment outside that act. The entry names no other exemption and attaches no employer-size condition to the rate.
- Does the Kansas minimum wage apply if my employer is covered by the FLSA?
- Not under the state law as the table describes it. The Kansas entry states that the State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which leaves that employment to the federal act. The same table gives the current federal minimum wage as $7.25 per hour in its entries for states with no minimum wage law of their own.
- Does the Kansas minimum wage change again during 2026?
- The Department of Labor's table lists no scheduled change for Kansas. The entry carries a single basic minimum rate with no dated step attached, unlike the entries the department dates for some other jurisdictions. A change taking effect after the table's July 1, 2026 update would not appear here until the department republishes the table and this record is verified against it again.
- Is the Kansas minimum wage adjusted each year?
- The table states an annual adjustment inside the entry itself for the states that have one, naming a formula or an index. The Kansas entry contains no such statement, and it contains no clause adopting the federal rate by reference either. This page publishes the rate the table listed as of July 1, 2026 and makes no claim about how or when it is recalculated.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage in Kansas?
- The Department of Labor's state table lists one basic minimum rate per hour for Kansas and no separate cash wage for tipped employees, so this page does not publish one. The same table states plainly that differential provisions are not displayed in it, naming subminimum rates for minors and students and training wages for new hires as its own examples.
- Does Kansas require overtime pay after designated hours?
- The table carries a premium pay after designated hours line for the jurisdictions that have one, giving a daily threshold, a weekly threshold or both. The Kansas entry carries no such line, so this page publishes no state overtime threshold for Kansas. What the entry does record about the reach of state law is the exclusion of employment subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
- Where does the $7.25 figure for Kansas 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 Kansas entry gives the basic minimum rate per hour as $7.25. The division notes on the same page that it tries to ensure the information is 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 is $7.25 per hour, but that rate does not apply uniformly to every worker in every state. Many states have their own rules that let employers pay a lower wage to certain categories of workers. Subminimum rates may apply to minors, full-time students, or other designated groups. Some states also allow a training wage - a reduced hourly rate paid to new hires during an introductory period. A few states go further and exempt those workers from minimum-wage coverage altogether. Because these special rates and exemptions differ from state to state and are not shown in the table above, workers and employers should check with the state labor office to confirm which wage applies.
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 federal minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but state rates can be higher, and local rates can be higher still. Many cities and counties have adopted their own minimum wages that exceed the state rate, and in those places the local rate controls. The table above does not show these local variations because they change often and are issued by many different jurisdictions. Workers in cities or counties with their own minimum wage should look up the local ordinance to find the rate that actually applies to them, and should confirm it with the relevant state or local labor office.
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
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered non-exempt employees who work beyond their regular weekly hours must be paid overtime. The federal overtime premium is one and one-half times the employee's regular hourly rate. For a worker paid the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour, each overtime hour must be paid at no less than one and one-half times that regular rate. A few states set a different threshold for when overtime begins, or require a higher premium; in those states the state rule applies if it is more protective than the federal one. The table above shows which states have weekly overtime thresholds, and those thresholds vary from state to state.
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
This page is maintained by the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division, but it is a summary, not an official state source. State minimum wage rates, exemptions, posting requirements and enforcement procedures can change at any time, so anyone who needs definitive information should contact the labor office of the state where they work. Workers who believe they have been paid less than the required rate can generally file a complaint with either the state labor office or the federal Wage and Hour Division, which enforces the Fair Labor Standards Act.
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
The Kansas minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, the same figure as the federal minimum, and that is not a coincidence anyone in Kansas should rely on. State law excludes from its coverage any employment subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act, so for most jobs in Kansas the operative rule is the federal one and the state rule never applies at all. What that means in practice: when Congress changes the federal minimum, the rate you are owed changes with it, without Kansas legislating anything. And when you have a complaint, it belongs to the federal Wage and Hour Division for a covered job. The state figure matters only for work the federal act does not reach.
Kansas Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25 The State law excludes from coverage any employment that is subject to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.
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
Kansas Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $7.25
Other years
- 2026
Every Kansas Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state