2025 Nebraska Minimum Wage
The 2025 Nebraska Minimum Wage is $13.50.
Effective 2025-01-01Source: Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)Verified 2026-08-31
Who it applies to
Employers and employees in the state of Nebraska subject to the state minimum wage
What changed this year, and why
Nebraska's minimum hourly wage increased to $13.50 effective January 1, 2025, as set by a voter-approved initiative from November 2022 that raises the wage each year through 2026.
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage for tipped employees in Nebraska?
- Employers must ensure that an employee's wages and tips combined equal at least the full minimum wage.
Minors, students and training wages: who may be paid less than the rate on this page
Nebraska's minimum wage is $13.50 per hour effective January 1, 2025, but employers may pay tipped employees a lower hourly cash wage of $2.13 per hour. The employer must ensure that the employee's tips combined with the cash wage equal at least $13.50 per hour. If tips do not bring the employee's total compensation up to the minimum wage, the employer must make up the difference. This tip credit arrangement applies only to workers who regularly receive tips. Nebraska law does not establish separate subminimum wage rates for minors, students, or workers in training programs. Young workers and trainees in Nebraska are generally entitled to the same $13.50 per hour minimum wage as other employees, unless a specific federal exemption applies to their employment situation.
The minimum hourly wage for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour. Employers are responsible for ensuring that wages and tips combined equal at least the minimum wage.
Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
Workers in Nebraska with questions about minimum wage rates, overtime pay, or wage complaints can contact the Nebraska Department of Labor's Labor Standards division. Labor law specialists are available to answer questions from both workers and employers regarding wages in Nebraska. The division can be reached by phone at 402-471-2239 or by email at ndol.laborstdrdsinquiries@nebraska.gov. Additional information about minimum wage requirements, including current workplace posters that employers must display, is available online at dol.nebraska.gov/LaborStandards. Workers who believe their employer is not paying the required $13.50 per hour minimum wage or who have other wage-related concerns should reach out to these labor standards specialists for assistance.
Information about the minimum wage, including current workplace posters, is available at dol.nebraska.gov/LaborStandards. Labor law specialists are available to answer questions from workers and employers regarding wages in Nebraska and may be contacted at 402-471-2239 or ndol.laborstdrdsinquiries@nebraska.gov.
Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)
When tips, meals or lodging count toward the minimum wage
Nebraska's minimum wage law allows employers to count tips toward meeting the minimum wage requirement for tipped employees. The state permits employers to pay tipped workers a cash wage of $2.13 per hour, with the expectation that tips will bring total compensation up to at least $13.50 per hour. Unlike some states that allow employers to count the value of meals or lodging toward minimum wage requirements, Nebraska's minimum wage law specifically addresses tips as the primary form of additional compensation that can be credited. Employers must ensure that the combination of the $2.13 cash wage plus tips received equals at least the full minimum wage of $13.50 per hour for each hour worked.
The minimum hourly wage for tipped employees is $2.13 per hour. Employers are responsible for ensuring that wages and tips combined equal at least the minimum wage.
Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)
How the rate is adjusted each year, and who announces it
Nebraska's minimum wage is scheduled to increase by $1.50 each year through 2026. Beginning in 2027, the state's minimum wage will be adjusted annually based on changes in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index. This cost-of-living adjustment mechanism ensures that Nebraska's minimum wage keeps pace with inflation after the initial scheduled increases are completed. The adjustment process is automatic and based on the Consumer Price Index, which tracks changes in the prices workers pay for goods and services. Nebraska voters approved this system in November 2022, establishing both the fixed increases through 2026 and the ongoing inflation-based adjustments beginning in 2027.
In accordance with an initiative passed by voters in November of 2022, the minimum wage will increase $1.50 each year through 2026, followed by an annual cost of living increase beginning in 2027.
Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)
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.
Nebraska Minimum Wage Increases to $13.50 Effective January 1, 2025 (Nebraska Department of Labor)
- Hourly
minimum wage will increase to $13.50 per hour effective January 1, 2025.
Other years
- 2026
- 2025
Every Nebraska Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state