2016 Kentucky Minimum Wage
The 2016 Kentucky Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2016-01-01Source: Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)Verified 2026-08-30
Compared with 2015
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2015.
| Item | 2015 | 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in the state of Kentucky subject to Kentucky wage and hour laws.
What changed this year, and why
Kentucky's minimum wage rate remained at $7.25 per hour in 2016, unchanged from 2015.
Common questions
- What was the minimum wage in Kentucky in 2016?
- The minimum wage in Kentucky was $7.25 per hour in 2016.
- Did the Kentucky minimum wage change in 2016?
- No. The rate was $7.25 per hour in 2015 and remained $7.25 per hour in 2016.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
Kentucky law states that certain exemptions from minimum wage and overtime apply, though the specific categories of workers who may be paid less than the standard rate are not detailed on this page. These exemptions can include minors, students in work-study or training programs, and workers in particular industries who may qualify for a subminimum wage. The Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws recognize that not all workers are entitled to the full $7.25 per hour minimum wage in every circumstance. Workers and employers in Kentucky who need to determine whether a particular job or worker falls under an exemption should contact the Division of Wages and Hours at (502)564-3534. This office can provide guidance on which exemptions apply and whether a reduced wage rate is permissible under Kentucky law.
Certain exemptions from minimum wage and overtime apply. For questions, please call (502)564-3534.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
Kentucky law requires that employees who work more than a full workweek receive premium pay for the extra hours. The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the regular hourly rate. This means a Kentucky worker earning the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour must be paid at least one and one-half times that rate for each hour worked beyond the standard workweek. The higher overtime rate applies to covered, nonexempt employees throughout the state. Kentucky also has a separate rule requiring time and a half for work on the seventh consecutive day of a workweek, though that provision does not apply if the employee worked no more than a standard full workweek. Workers in Kentucky who believe their employer has not paid the proper overtime premium can contact the Division of Wages and Hours for guidance and to file a complaint.
The rate of pay for time in excess of forty hours shall be not less than one and one-half the hourly rate employed.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Workers in Kentucky with questions about the minimum wage, overtime rules, or wage complaints should contact the Education and Labor Cabinet, Division of Wages and Hours. The office is located at the Mayo-Underwood Building, 500 Mero Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-4381, and can be reached by phone at (502) 564-3534. This division handles inquiries about minimum wage rates, overtime pay, wage deductions, and exemptions from Kentucky's wage and hour laws. Employees who believe their employer has violated the state's minimum wage or overtime requirements can file a complaint with this office. Additional information may be available on the division's website at elc.ky.gov.
Education and Labor Cabinet Division of Wages and Hours Mayo-Underwood Building 500 Mero Street, 3rd Floor Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-4381 Phone (502) 564-3534
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Kentucky law sets a minimum hourly wage of $7.25 for covered employees. For workers whose jobs regularly produce tips—defined as receiving more than $30 per month in gratuities—an employer may pay a direct cash wage of $2.13 per hour, provided the employee's records show that tips plus the cash wage equal at least $7.25 for each workweek. If the combined total falls short in any week, the employer must make up the difference. Kentucky also bars employers from taking employees' tips to satisfy the minimum wage or requiring workers to hand over gratuities, except when state or federal law requires a withholding. Workers may pool tips among themselves, and when a tip pool is required it must be kept in a separate account open to its participants. This arrangement lets Kentucky employers in tipped occupations meet the $7.25 floor while counting the tips workers actually retain toward that obligation.
Any employee engaged in an occupation in which more than $30 dollars per month is customarily and regularly received in tips, the employer may pay a minimum of $2.13 per hour if the employer' records can establish for each week where credit is taken, when adding the tips received to wages paid, not less than the minimum wage is received by the employee.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
What an employer may deduct from your pay
In Kentucky, employers may not withhold any part of an employee's agreed wage rate unless specific conditions are met. Deductions are allowed only when required by local, state, or federal law; when the employee has given written authorization for insurance premiums or medical dues; when the employee has authorized other deductions in writing that do not reduce the standard wage established by collective bargaining or statute; or when union dues are deducted under a joint wage agreement or collective bargaining contract. Kentucky also prohibits employers from deducting fines, cash shortages from shared registers, breakage, losses from accepting dishonored checks (if the employee had discretion to accept or reject them), or losses from faulty workmanship, lost property, or customer defaults unless the employee willfully disregarded the employer's interests. These rules mean that Kentucky workers cannot have their pay reduced below the agreed rate for ordinary business losses or employer-imposed penalties, protecting the $7.25 per hour minimum wage from unauthorized deductions.
UNLAWFUL FOR EMPLOYER TO WITHHOLD WAGES No employer shall withhold from any employee's wages any part of the agreed wage rate; unless a) the employer is required to do so by local, state, or federal law; or b) when a deduction is expressly authorized in writing by the employee to cover insurance premiums, hospital, or medical dues; or c) when a deduction is expressly authorized in writing by the employee for other deductions not amounting to a rebate or deduction from the standard wage arrived at by collective bargaining or pursuant to wage agreement or statute; or d) Deductions for union dues where such deductions are authorized by joint wage agreements or collective bargaining contracts negotiated between employers and employees or their representatives.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
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.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
- Hourly
MINIMUM WAGE = $7.25 per hour
Other years
Every Kentucky Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state