2023 Montana Minimum Wage
The 2023 Montana Minimum Wage is $9.95.
Effective 2023-01-01Source: Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)Verified 2026-08-31
Who it applies to
Employees covered by Montana's minimum wage law; the rate must also meet or exceed the federal minimum wage.
What changed this year, and why
Montana's state minimum wage was adjusted for 2023.
Common questions
- What is Montana's minimum wage in 2023?
- The minimum wage in Montana is $9.95 per hour, effective January 1, 2023.
- Does the minimum wage change during the year?
- Montana's minimum wage is subject to an annual cost-of-living adjustment, so the rate could be revised during 2023 based on the Consumer Price Index.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
Montana allows a lower hourly rate only for employers that are not covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act and whose gross annual sales are $110,000 or less. Even then, the reduced $4.00 rate cannot be used for any worker who is producing or moving goods between states or who is otherwise covered by the federal law. For workers who remain subject to federal coverage, the employer must pay the higher of the federal minimum wage or Montana's minimum wage. Montana does not permit a separate subminimum training wage or a lower wage for students, and there is no statewide youth rate below $9.95 for minors who are otherwise covered by the state standard.
Exception: A business not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act whose gross annual sales are $110,000 or less may pay $4.00 per hour. However, if an individual employee is producing or moving goods between states or otherwise covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, that employee must be paid the greater of either the federal minimum wage or Montana’s minimum wage.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
In Montana, any employee who works more than 40 hours in a single workweek must receive overtime compensation at a rate of at least one and one-half times their regular hourly rate for each hour over 40. The overtime premium is calculated on the worker's actual regular rate, not on the minimum wage floor. Certain jobs are excluded from the state overtime rule, and details about those exclusions can be obtained by contacting the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The overtime requirement is a separate rule from the minimum wage itself and applies on top of whatever hourly rate the worker is paid. Employers cannot average hours over two weeks or a pay period to avoid paying overtime in a particular workweek.
Employees who work in excess of 40 hours in a workweek must receive overtime compensation at a rate of at least 1½ times their regular hourly rate for those hours worked over 40.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
A Montana worker with a question or complaint about their rate of pay should contact the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Compliance & Investigations Bureau. The bureau is located at PO BOX 201503, Helena, MT 59620-1503. The phone number is (406) 444-6543 and the email address is DLIERDWage@mt.gov. The bureau's website is www.mtwagehourbopa.com. This is the state office that handles questions about the $9.95 minimum wage, overtime, and the payment-of-wages rules described on this page. A worker in Montana who believes they have not been paid correctly should reach out to this office rather than a federal agency for issues governed by state law.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY COMPLIANCE & INVESTIGATIONS BUREAU PO BOX 201503 HELENA MT 59620-1503 PHONE (406) 444-6543 EMAIL: DLIERDWage@mt.gov
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Montana's minimum wage sits alongside the federal minimum wage, and the rule in the state is that workers are entitled to whichever rate is higher. In years when the federal floor is lower than Montana's $9.95, the state rate controls. If Congress raises the federal minimum wage above $9.95, the federal rate would then apply in Montana because the state statute ties the state floor to the greater of the two amounts. Employers in Montana therefore cannot pay the lower federal rate when the state rate is higher, and cannot pay the lower state rate when the federal rate is higher. The worker always receives the larger of the two amounts.
Montana’s minimum wage is to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Montana does not allow employers to count tips, the value of meals, or the value of lodging toward an employee's minimum wage. This means no tip credit, training wage, or meal credit is permitted in the state. A Montana employer must pay the full $9.95 per hour in actual wages regardless of whether the worker also receives tips or is provided meals or lodging as part of the job. The value of those benefits cannot be credited against the hourly rate to bring the cash wage below $9.95. For a tipped employee in Montana, this is more protective than the federal rule, which allows a lower cash wage for workers who regularly receive tips. In Montana, the full minimum wage must be paid on top of any tips received.
NO TIP CREDIT, TRAINING WAGE OR MEAL CREDIT IS ALLOWED IN THE STATE OF MONTANA
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
When the federal minimum wage is higher than Montana's state rate, the federal floor controls and Montana employers must pay the higher federal amount. Montana's statute ties the state minimum wage to the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage, so workers in Montana are always covered by whichever rate is larger. With some limited exceptions for small businesses not covered by federal law, the federal minimum wage rate applies in Montana whenever it exceeds the state figure. This means Montana workers cannot be paid below the federal floor, even if the state's own rate were to fall behind it.
Montana’s minimum wage is to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Montana's minimum wage is adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index to reflect changes in the cost of living. The adjustment is made no later than September 30th of each year and takes effect for the following year. The state rate is also required to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage after the adjustment. This means Montana's rate is automatically indexed to inflation rather than being set by a new legislative act each year. For 2023, the rate in Montana is $9.95 per hour. A Montana worker can expect the rate to be reviewed and potentially increased each fall, with any new figure applying from the start of the next calendar year.
The minimum wage is subject to a cost-of-living adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index no later than September 30th of each year.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
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.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2023) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
- Hourly
MONTANA’S MINIMUM WAGE (Effective 1/1/2023) $9.95*
Other years
Every Montana Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state