2023 Kentucky Minimum Wage
The 2023 Kentucky Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2023-01-01Source: Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)Verified 2026-08-30
Compared with 2022
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2022.
| Item | 2022 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees subject to the Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws
What changed this year, and why
Kentucky's minimum wage rate for 2023
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Kentucky for 2023?
- The minimum wage in Kentucky is $7.25 per hour for 2023. This is the same rate as 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. The state labor poster notes that certain exemptions from minimum wage and overtime requirements exist, which may allow some workers to be paid less than the standard rate. These exemptions typically apply to specific categories such as minors, students in work-study programs, or employees undergoing training. Employers must meet strict criteria to qualify for these exemptions and cannot simply decide to pay reduced wages without proper authorization. Workers who believe they should be receiving at least the full minimum wage but are being paid less should contact the Kentucky Division of Wages and Hours to determine whether their employer is following the law. The contact information for this office appears at the bottom of the state's wage and hour poster.
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
In Kentucky, employees must receive overtime pay when they work more than forty hours in a workweek. The overtime rate must be at least one and one-half times the employee's regular hourly rate. This means if someone earns the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, their overtime rate would be higher than that base rate for each hour beyond forty in a workweek. Kentucky law also requires time and one-half pay for work done on the seventh day of a workweek, unless the employee worked forty hours or less that week. Employers who fail to pay proper overtime premiums are violating state wage laws. Workers who believe they have not received correct overtime pay should contact the Kentucky Division of Wages and Hours.
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
Kentucky workers with questions about minimum wage rates or concerns about unpaid wages should contact the state labor office. The Kentucky Division of Wages and Hours handles questions about wage and hour laws and investigates complaints about unpaid wages, incorrect pay rates, and overtime violations. The division is part of the Education and Labor Cabinet and can provide guidance about whether exemptions apply to specific situations. Workers who believe their employer is not paying the required minimum wage of $7.25 per hour or is withholding wages unlawfully should reach out to this office for help. The division's contact information is listed on the state's wage and hour poster that employers must display in the workplace.
For questions, please call (502)564-3534.
Kentucky Wage and Hour Laws (Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
In Kentucky, employers may count tips toward meeting the minimum wage requirement for tipped employees. The state allows employers to pay tipped workers a base wage of $2.13 per hour, as long as the employee's tips bring their total earnings to at least $7.25 per hour for each workweek. Employers must be able to show through their records that employees received at least the minimum wage when tips are added to the base hourly rate. Kentucky law also allows employers to count the value of meals and lodging toward the minimum wage in certain situations. However, employers cannot take tips for their own use or require employees to turn over tips except when required by law. Workers who believe their employer is improperly handling tips should contact the Kentucky Division of Wages and Hours.
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 limits what employers can deduct from workers' paychecks. Employers cannot make deductions that would reduce an employee's pay below the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, except in specific situations allowed by law. Permitted deductions include those required by law, insurance premiums, hospital or medical dues authorized in writing by the employee, and union dues authorized through collective bargaining. Employers are specifically prohibited from deducting fines, cash shortages from shared registers, breakage, losses from dishonored checks when the employee had discretion to accept them, or losses from defective work or stolen property unless the employee acted willfully against the employer's interests. Workers who believe unlawful deductions have brought their pay below the minimum wage should contact the Kentucky Division of Wages and Hours.
No employer shall deduct the following from the wages of employees: a) Fines b) Cash shortages in a common money till, cash box or register used by two (2) or more persons; c) Breakage;
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