Massachusetts Minimum Wage 2026
Current year
The 2026 Massachusetts Minimum Wage is $15.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)Verified 2026-09-01
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in Massachusetts covered by the state minimum wage law. The table gives the basic minimum rate with no employer-size condition attached, unlike its entries for several other states, and it adds a premium-pay line stating a weekly threshold of hours after which premium pay is due. The table does not display subminimum rates for minors, students or trainees, training wages for new hires, 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 Massachusetts's basic minimum rate as $15.00 per hour. The entry records no later step inside the year, and no earlier year of this record is published here, so this page states no year-over-year change. What the entry adds beside the rate is a floor tied to the federal minimum wage and a premium-pay line.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Massachusetts in 2026?
- It is $15.00 per hour. That is the basic minimum rate the U.S. Department of Labor lists for Massachusetts in its State Minimum Wage Laws table, in the version updated July 1, 2026. The figure published here is taken from that entry and from no other source, so it reflects the state rate as the department recorded it on that date.
- Does the Massachusetts minimum wage have to stay above the federal minimum wage?
- The table's Massachusetts entry ends with a clause stating that the state minimum wage rate shall in no case be less than a stated margin higher than the effective federal minimum rate. The margin is an amount the entry gives and this page does not repeat; the rate published here is the basic minimum rate the same entry lists. Most entries in the table carry no clause of this kind at all.
- When do Massachusetts employers owe overtime pay?
- The entry carries a premium-pay line stating a weekly threshold of hours after which premium pay is due, and it states no daily threshold, which some other entries in the same table do. The table's footnote adds that the overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate unless otherwise specified. The hour count itself is stated in the source entry.
- Is there a separate tipped minimum wage in Massachusetts?
- The Department of Labor's state table lists one basic minimum rate per hour for Massachusetts 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 examples, so a tipped provision would sit outside what this source records.
- Does the Massachusetts minimum wage change again during 2026?
- The table lists no scheduled change for Massachusetts. Its entry carries a single basic minimum rate with no dated step attached, unlike the entries the department dates for some other states. 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 the new version.
- Is the Massachusetts minimum wage adjusted for inflation each year?
- The entry states no annual adjustment. For several other states the same table says inside the entry that the minimum wage is adjusted annually based on a set formula; the Massachusetts entry says nothing of the kind, and its only forward-looking clause is the one tying the state rate to the effective federal minimum rate. This page therefore makes no claim about how or when the rate is recalculated.
- Does the Massachusetts minimum wage apply to small employers?
- The entry attaches no employer-size condition to the rate. For some other states the same table opens the entry with a coverage line limiting the rate to employers at or above a stated headcount, and the Massachusetts entry carries no such line. The table also does not itself list the exemptions written into the state law, so it is a list of rates rather than a coverage guide.
- Where does the $15.00 figure on this page 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 Massachusetts entry gives the basic minimum rate per hour as $15.00. 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
Massachusetts allows certain workers to be paid below the $15 hourly minimum in specific situations. The state recognizes subminimum wage rates for minors and students, exemptions from coverage for particular categories of employees, and training wages for newly hired workers. These special rates apply only when the worker and the job both fall within one of these narrow categories and the employer has followed the procedural steps required by state law. Employers cannot simply pay any new hire or young worker a reduced rate without meeting the legal conditions. A teenager working a summer job, a student in a work-study program, or a new employee still in training may qualify, but each case depends on the rules the Massachusetts Division of Standards administers. Workers and employers who think one of these exceptions applies should check directly with that office, because the general $15 rate applies to everyone else.
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
Massachusetts sets a statewide floor of $15 an hour, but individual cities and counties are free to set a higher minimum wage for employers operating within their borders. When a municipality does so, the local rate controls inside that locality, not the lower state figure. A worker in Boston, for example, would be entitled to whatever rate that city has adopted, even though the rest of the state is at $15. Employers with locations in multiple municipalities must pay each site's applicable rate. The table this page draws from does not list those local ordinances, so workers should check with their own city or town hall and employers should verify local rules in every jurisdiction where they have employees. The state rate remains the default everywhere a local government has not acted.
Some local governments set minimum wage rates higher than their respective state minimum wage. Such differential provisions are not displayed in this table.
State Minimum Wage Laws (DOL)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
In Massachusetts, overtime hours must be paid at a premium above the worker's regular hourly rate. The overtime premium rate is one and one-half times the employee's regular rate, unless otherwise specified. This means that any covered non-exempt worker who puts in overtime hours is owed time and a half for each of those hours, calculated on top of whatever that worker's normal pay is. For someone earning the $15 minimum wage, the overtime rate works out to more than $15 per overtime hour. The premium applies whether the worker is paid hourly or on a salary basis, as long as they are not in an exempt occupation. Employers in Massachusetts cannot replace the cash overtime premium with compensatory time off, and the overtime calculation is based on each individual workweek rather than being averaged over a longer period.
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
The Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces the federal minimum wage and overtime requirements under the Fair Labor Standards Act. However, state minimum wage laws and local ordinances may impose additional requirements beyond federal standards. Workers and employers with questions about which rate applies to a particular situation should contact the relevant state labor office for official information about state and local requirements. State labor offices maintain authoritative information about state-specific minimum wage rates, subminimum wage provisions, coverage exemptions, and enforcement procedures. The Wage and Hour Division provides guidance on federal requirements but does not administer state or local wage laws. Workers who believe they have not been paid the correct minimum wage or overtime can file a complaint with either the federal Wage and Hour Division or their state labor agency, depending on which law applies to their situation. State labor office contact information is typically available through state government websites.
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)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Massachusetts pays $15.00 an hour and its law is written to stay above the federal minimum rather than merely to sit above it today. Where federal and state minimum wage law both cover a job - and for most jobs both do - the employer owes the higher of the two rates, so the Massachusetts figure is the one that governs. The federal rate has no effect on your pay while the state rate exceeds it. What the state provision adds is that the gap cannot close by accident: a federal increase pulls the Massachusetts minimum up with it rather than overtaking it. So the number to watch for a job in Massachusetts is the state number, and a local ordinance where one applies, not the federal one.
In no case shall the Massachusetts minimum wage rate be less than $0.50 higher than the effective federal minimum rate.
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
Massachusetts Basic Minimum Rate (per hour): $15.00