2022 Kentucky Minimum Wage
The 2022 Kentucky Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2022-01-01Source: Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)Verified 2026-08-30
Compared with 2021
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2021.
| Item | 2021 | 2022 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Most employees working in the state of Kentucky are covered by this minimum wage. Certain exemptions apply.
What changed this year, and why
Kentucky's state minimum wage remained $7.25 per hour in 2022, unchanged from 2021.
Common questions
- Has Kentucky's minimum wage changed in recent years?
- No. The minimum wage was $7.25 per hour in 2021 and remained at that level in 2022.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
In Kentucky, the minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, but certain workers may be paid less. Minors, students, and employees in training situations can receive subminimum wages under specific conditions. For example, the state allows employers to pay new workers a lower training wage during their initial employment period, and students working in certain capacities may also qualify for reduced rates. These exceptions are designed to encourage hiring of young and inexperienced workers while still providing some wage protection. The $7.25 hourly rate remains the standard for most workers, but these subminimum wage provisions create limited opportunities for employers to pay below that threshold when workers fall into qualifying categories like age-based exemptions or formal training programs.
Certain exemptions from minimum wage and overtime apply.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
Kentucky requires employers to pay overtime at a premium rate when employees work more than forty hours in a workweek. The rate of pay for time in excess of forty hours shall be not less than one and one-half the hourly rate employed. This means if you earn $7.25 per hour in Kentucky, your overtime rate must be higher than your regular hourly rate—specifically, at least one and one-half times that rate for any hours worked beyond forty in a single workweek. The overtime requirement applies to the total hours worked in the workweek, not to daily hours. Employers cannot average hours over two or more weeks to avoid paying overtime. Kentucky also has a separate provision requiring time and a half pay when an employee works all seven days in a workweek, though this does not apply if the employee worked forty hours or fewer during that week. These protections ensure that Kentucky workers receive additional compensation for extended work periods.
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
For questions about Kentucky's minimum wage and overtime laws, contact the Education and Labor Cabinet, Division of Wages and Hours. The Division of Wages and Hours is located at the Mayo-Underwood Building, 500 Mero Street, 3rd Floor, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601-4381. You can reach them by phone at (502) 564-3534 or visit their website at elc.ky.gov. This division handles questions about exemptions, wage complaints, and compliance with Kentucky wage and hour laws. If you believe your employer is not paying the required $7.25 minimum wage or proper overtime, this is the office to contact. The Division maintains authority over wage enforcement and can provide guidance on workers' rights under Kentucky law.
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 elc.ky.gov
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Kentucky's tipped employee rules allow employers to pay a lower cash wage when tips are regularly received. 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. This means Kentucky employers can count tips toward meeting the $7.25 minimum wage obligation, but only if the combined total of the $2.13 cash wage plus actual tips equals at least $7.25 for each workweek. If tips fall short in any week, the employer must make up the difference. Kentucky law also prohibits employers from using employees' tips toward the minimum wage unless the records demonstrate the employee received the full minimum wage when tips are added to the cash wage paid.
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
Kentucky law restricts what employers can deduct from employee wages. No employer shall withhold from any employee's wages any part of the agreed wage rate unless the employer is required to do so by local, state, or federal law, or when a deduction is expressly authorized in writing by the employee to cover insurance premiums, hospital, or medical dues. Additionally, Kentucky prohibits employers from deducting fines, cash shortages from shared registers, breakage, losses from dishonored checks if the employee had discretion to accept or reject them, and losses from defective workmanship or stolen property unless attributable to the employee's willful disregard of the employer's interest. These protections ensure that Kentucky workers receive their full agreed wage minus only legally authorized or properly documented deductions. The $7.25 minimum wage serves as the baseline that cannot be reduced below through improper deductions.
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;
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