2025 Montana Minimum Wage
The 2025 Montana Minimum Wage is $10.55.
Effective 2025-01-01Source: Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)Verified 2026-08-31
Compared with 2024
| Item | 2024 | 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $10.30 | $10.55 | +$0.25 (+2.4%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees covered by Montana's minimum wage law
What changed this year, and why
Montana's minimum wage increased to $10.55 per hour, up from $10.30 in 2024.
Common questions
- When did the 2025 minimum wage take effect?
- January 1, 2025.
- Is Montana's minimum wage adjusted each year?
- Yes. It is subject to a cost-of-living adjustment based on the Consumer Price Index no later than September 30 of each year.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
A business in Montana that is not covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act and has gross annual sales of $110,000 or less may pay employees $4.00 per hour instead of the standard $10.55 minimum wage. However, if an individual employee is producing or moving goods between states or is 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, regardless of the employer's sales volume. This exception applies only to very small businesses that are not engaged in interstate commerce and do not fall under federal labor law coverage. Most Montana workers are protected by the full state minimum wage rate.
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.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
In Montana, employees who work more than 40 hours in a single workweek must receive overtime compensation at a rate of at least 1½ times their regular hourly rate for each hour worked beyond 40. For a worker earning the state minimum wage of $10.55 per hour, overtime hours must be paid at one and one-half times that regular rate. Certain categories of workers are excluded from overtime pay under state law. Employees who believe their position may be excluded from overtime, or who have questions about whether their employer is correctly calculating overtime pay, can contact the Montana Department of Labor & Industry for guidance. The overtime premium is calculated based on the employee's actual regular hourly rate, which may be higher than $10.55 depending on the job, and applies to every hour worked past 40 in a 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 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Workers in Montana who have questions about their wage rate, believe they are being paid below the legal minimum, or need to file a wage complaint should contact the Montana Department of Labor & Industry. The department can be reached by phone at (406) 444-6543 or by email at DLIERDWage@mt.gov. Written correspondence may be sent to the department at PO BOX 201503, Helena, MT 59620-1503. Additional information is available on the department's wage and hour website at www.mtwagehourbopa.com. This office handles enforcement of Montana's minimum wage, overtime, and payment-of-wages rules, and is the appropriate place for employees to raise concerns about unpaid wages or incorrect pay rates within the state.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR & INDUSTRY PO BOX 201503 HELENA MT 59620-1503 PHONE (406) 444-6543 EMAIL: DLIERDWage@mt.gov
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
Montana's minimum wage is set to be the greater of the federal minimum wage or the current state minimum wage. This means that if the federal rate were ever raised above Montana's rate, Montana workers would automatically be entitled to the higher federal amount rather than being held to a lower state figure. For 2025, the Montana rate is $10.55 per hour, which exceeds the current federal floor, so the state rate controls. The structure ensures that employees in Montana always receive whichever rate is more protective. This rule works alongside the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: even for businesses not covered by federal law, if an individual employee is engaged in interstate commerce or otherwise covered by the FLSA, that employee must be paid the greater of the federal or Montana minimum wage.
Montana’s minimum wage is to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Montana does not allow employers to count tips, meals, or lodging toward the minimum wage. The state explicitly prohibits any tip credit, training wage, or meal credit, meaning employers must pay the full $10.55 per hour in direct wages regardless of whether an employee also receives tips or is provided meals or lodging as part of their compensation. For tipped workers in Montana, this means their cash wage from the employer cannot be reduced below $10.55 on the assumption that tips will make up the difference. Similarly, an employer who furnishes meals or housing to a worker may not credit the value of those benefits against the minimum wage obligation. The full hourly rate must be paid in money wages, and tips remain entirely the employee's property on top of that guaranteed floor.
NO TIP CREDIT, TRAINING WAGE OR MEAL CREDIT IS ALLOWED IN THE STATE OF MONTANA
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
Why the federal rate applies when the state rate is lower
Montana's minimum wage is set to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage. This means that when the federal minimum wage is higher than Montana's state rate, employers in Montana must pay the federal rate instead. While Montana's 2025 rate is $10.55 per hour, if the federal minimum wage were to increase above this amount, Montana workers would be entitled to the higher federal rate. This provision ensures that Montana employees always receive at least the federal minimum wage floor, even if the state rate falls below it. The rule works to protect workers by guaranteeing they receive whichever rate is more favorable to them at any given time.
Montana’s minimum wage is to be the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage.
Montana's Minimum Wage (Effective 1/1/2025) 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 changes in the cost of living. The adjustment uses the Consumer Price Index and must be made no later than September 30th of each year. The new rate then takes effect on January 1st of the following year. For 2025, the rate is $10.55 per hour, reflecting the most recent annual adjustment. Montana's law also provides that the state minimum wage is always the greater of the federal or current state minimum wage, so if the federal rate were to rise above the inflation-adjusted state figure, the higher federal rate would apply. Workers and employers in Montana can monitor the annual adjustment by checking announcements from the Montana Department of Labor & Industry, which administers the wage floor and publishes the updated rate each fall ahead of the January effective date.
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 1/1/2025) 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 1/1/2025) poster (Montana Department of Labor & Industry)
- Hourly
MONTANA’S MINIMUM WAGE (Effective 1/1/2025) $10.55*
Other years
Every Montana Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state