2021 Pennsylvania Minimum Wage
The 2021 Pennsylvania Minimum Wage is $7.25.
Effective 2021-01-01Source: Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)Verified 2026-09-03
Compared with 2020
Every figure on this page is unchanged from 2020.
| Item | 2020 | 2021 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $7.25 | $7.25 | +$0 (+0.0%) |
Who it applies to
Employers and employees covered by the Pennsylvania Minimum Wage Act
What changed this year, and why
Pennsylvania's minimum wage rate
Common questions
- What is the minimum wage in Pennsylvania?
- The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25 per hour.
When a city or county sets a higher minimum wage
The $7.25 on this page is Pennsylvania's statewide rate, and it is the one the Department of Labor & Industry enforces. A Pennsylvania city can carry requirements of its own on top of it: the department tells workers in the City of Philadelphia that additional requirements may apply to certain persons there and sends them to the city government's website to find them. What the department will not do is enforce those requirements. It says so plainly, that it does not enforce city ordinances and that you must contact the City of Philadelphia, which means a local rule is a question for the city while the statewide rate is what a complaint to the state can be about.
There may be additional requirements for certain persons within the City of Philadelphia. You can find information on the City of Philadelphia city government website. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry does not enforce city ordinances. You must contact the City of Philadelphia.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
Overtime is paid at one and one-half times the regular rate
The rate on this page is what an hour of work is worth in Pennsylvania up to 40 hours; past that the arithmetic changes. Most employees in Pennsylvania must be paid overtime compensation for any hours they work over 40 straight time hours per week, and that compensation is 1-1/2 times the employee's straight time rate of pay. The premium is built on what the employee actually earns, so a Pennsylvania worker paid the $7.25 minimum wage is owed more than $7.25 for each of those hours rather than the same. Other employees are overtime exempt because they fall into one or more exemptions, and whether an exemption applies turns on the work actually done and how the employee is paid, not on the job title.
Most employees in Pennsylvania must be paid overtime compensation for any hours they work over 40 straight time hours per week. Overtime compensation is 1-1/2 times the employee's straight time rate of pay. Other employees may be overtime exempt because they may fall into one or more other exemptions.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
Who to ask about this rate, and where to take a wage complaint
If you were not paid at least $7.25 per hour or were not paid correctly for overtime hours, you should try to file a wage claim within two years from the date the work was actually performed. However, you should file a claim as soon as you can. Since your employer is only required to keep its records for three years, it is more difficult for the Department of Labor & Industry to collect your wages as time passes. The Department can refuse to accept your claim for a variety of reasons including lack of evidence to support a claim or the claim is not valid under law. The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry enforces the state's Minimum Wage Act and is the agency to contact about this rate. If you believe you were terminated because of discrimination based on a legally protected characteristic, you may contact the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.
How much Time Do I Have to File A Claim after Termination? If you were not paid at least the minimum wage or you were not paid correctly for your overtime hours, you should try to file a wage claim within two years from the date the work was actually performed. However, you should file a claim as soon as you can. Since your employer is only required to keep its records for three years, it is more difficult for the Department of Labor & Industry to collect your wages as time passes.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
State minimum wage laws that give more than the federal rate
A worker in Pennsylvania is covered by the state's Minimum Wage Act and by federal wage law at the same time, and the Department of Labor & Industry states the rule for that overlap: federal law may differ from state law, and the more restrictive of the two will apply. More restrictive means the one that leaves the employee better off, so where a state rate stands above the federal one the state rate is what an employer has to pay, and where it does not the federal rate is. Pennsylvania's rate is $7.25 per hour. The department sends questions about federal law itself to the United States Department of Labor, and it notes that many issues may also be specifically addressed by collective bargaining agreements and private contracts.
FEDERAL LAW MAY DIFFER FROM STATE LAW. THE MORE RESTRICTIVE OF THE TWO WILL APPLY. CONTACT THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR FOR FURTHER CLARIFICATION OF FEDERAL LAW. MANY ISSUES MAY ALSO BE SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED BY COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS AND PRIVATE CONTRACTS.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
What an employer may deduct from your pay
Under Pennsylvania's Minimum Wage Act, employers may deduct certain amounts from an employee's earnings, but strict rules apply. If you borrowed money from a third party, you may give your employer written permission to deduct repayment from your pay. If the employer itself loaned you money, it may deduct the repayment as long as you have given written authorization. Standard tax withholdings are required by law and do not need separate consent. However, for any non-tax deduction, you must provide specific written authorization - it is not valid to sign a blanket authorization at the time of hire that covers unknown future deductions. The most important protection is that, as a general rule, deductions may not reduce your gross pay below the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, and any permitted deduction must be for the employee's own benefit. These limits ensure that required work-related costs cannot be shifted to workers in a way that erodes their base pay below the legal floor.
What Can Be Deducted From My Paycheck? If you have borrowed money from a third party, you can give the employer written permission to deduct payments from your earnings. If your employer has loaned you funds, it can deduct the amount from your earnings as long as you have given written authorization. Of course, normal tax deductions must be made. You must give written authorization to your employer to make such non-tax related deductions. It is not valid to sign a "blanket" authorization at the time of hire to cover any future deductions. Further, as a rule, deductions cannot reduce your gross pay below minimum wage, and the deductions must be for the employee's benefit.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and 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.
Wage FAQs (Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry)
- Hourly
What is the Minimum Wage in Pennsylvania? The minimum wage in Pennsylvania is $7.25 per hour.
Other years
Every Pennsylvania Minimum Wage year · Minimum Wage in every state