2026 Massachusetts Tipped Minimum Wage
The 2026 Massachusetts Tipped Minimum Wage is $6.75.
Effective 2026-01-01Source: Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (DOL)Verified 2026-08-30
Who it applies to
Employers of tipped employees in Massachusetts. The cash wage is the part of the minimum wage the employer pays directly. The rest may be met by the employee's tips, up to the maximum tip credit the same row of the table states, and the table sets out separately how much an employee must receive in tips to count as a tipped employee at all.
What changed this year, and why
The Wage and Hour Division's table of minimum wages for tipped employees, in the version last revised July 1, 2026, gives $6.75 per hour as the minimum cash wage an employer may pay a tipped employee in Massachusetts. The table carries only its own revision date and never dates the rate, so this page reports the figure as in force as of that revision rather than claiming an effective date no document states.
Common questions
- What is the tipped minimum wage in Massachusetts in 2026?
- $6.75 per hour in cash wages. That is what the Department of Labor's table of minimum wages for tipped employees, last revised July 1, 2026, gives as the minimum cash wage for a tipped employee in Massachusetts. Tips make up the remainder of the applicable minimum wage, up to the maximum tip credit stated in the same row.
- What if tips do not bring the employee up to the full minimum wage?
- The employer pays the difference. A tip credit is a credit against the minimum wage the employer already owes, not a lower wage in its own right, so an employee whose cash wage and tips together fall short of the applicable minimum wage is owed the shortfall in wages.
- Where does the figure on this page come from?
- From Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees, the table the Wage and Hour Division publishes by state, in the version last revised July 1, 2026. The row it was read from is quoted on this page, and the snapshot it was verified against is the one captured for this record.
Every amount on this page is a published figure rather than yours. The Tips needed per hour takes the number you enter and works it out against them, showing which published figure it used.
Who counts as a tipped employee
In Massachusetts, a tipped employee is someone who works in an occupation where they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips. This threshold determines whether federal and state tip credit rules apply to a worker. If an employee meets this definition, their employer may pay them the state's minimum cash wage of $6.75 per hour instead of the full state minimum wage, with the employer claiming a tip credit for the difference. The $30 monthly threshold applies to tips actually received by the employee from customers. Workers in occupations that do not customarily generate this level of tipping are not considered tipped employees under the law, and their employer must pay them the full applicable minimum wage without taking any tip credit. This definition ensures that tip credit provisions only apply to workers in occupations where customers genuinely provide tips as a regular part of the compensation structure.
Under the FLSA, a tipped employee is an employee engaged in an occupation in which they customarily and regularly receive more than $30 a month in tips.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
What a tip credit is, and the cash wage underneath it
In Massachusetts, the tip credit is the difference between the minimum cash wage an employer pays directly to a tipped employee and the full state minimum wage. Under Massachusetts law, an employer must pay a tipped worker at least $6.75 per hour in direct cash wages. The employer can then claim a tip credit equal to the difference between this cash wage and the full state minimum wage. Only tips actually received by the employee count when determining whether the employee qualifies as a tipped employee and when applying the tip credit. The employer must be able to show in each workweek that the employee receives enough tips plus the cash wage to equal at least the full state minimum wage. This means the employer tracks both the cash wage paid and the tips earned each week. If the combined total falls below the full state minimum wage for any workweek, the employer must add wages to make up the shortfall. This structure lets employers count employees' tips toward their minimum wage obligation while guaranteeing the worker a meaningful cash wage of at least $6.75 per hour and ensuring the total always reaches the full state minimum.
An employer can take an FLSA tip credit equal to the difference between the direct wage, or the cash wage it pays directly to the tipped employee, and the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
When the tips do not get you to the minimum wage
In Massachusetts, employers claiming a tip credit must be able to show in each workweek that tipped employees receive at least the full state minimum wage when the direct cash wages and the tip credit amount are combined. If an employee's tips combined with the employer's direct cash wages do not equal the full state minimum wage in any given workweek, the employer must make up the difference. This is a strict per-workweek requirement. The employer cannot average tips across multiple weeks or shift shortfall amounts forward. For example, if the employer pays the minimum cash wage of $6.75 per hour and the employee's tips for a particular week are low, the total may fall short of the full state minimum wage for that week. When that happens, the employer is legally obligated to add enough wages to close the gap. This protection ensures that tipped employees in Massachusetts never earn less than the full state minimum wage in any workweek, regardless of fluctuations in tip income. The burden of tracking and making up any shortfall falls entirely on the employer.
If an employee’s tips combined with the employer’s direct (or cash) wages do not equal the minimum hourly wage of $7.25 per hour in each workweek, the employer must make up the difference.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
The notice an employer owes you before it takes the credit
In Massachusetts, employers must provide the following information to tipped employees before taking a tip credit: the amount of the direct cash wage the employer is paying, which must be at least $6.75 per hour under state law; the additional amount claimed by the employer as a tip credit; that the tip credit claimed cannot exceed the amount of tips actually received by the employee; that all tips received by the employee are to be retained by them except for a valid tip pooling arrangement limited to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips; and that the tip credit will not apply unless the employee has been informed of these provisions. Employers may provide this notice orally or in writing. An employer that fails to provide this required information cannot take the tip credit at all. This notice requirement ensures that tipped employees in Massachusetts are fully informed about their wages and tip rights before their employer reduces their cash wage below the full state minimum wage.
Employers must provide the following information to tipped employees before taking a tip credit under the FLSA: the amount of the direct (or cash) wage the employer is paying a tipped employee, which must be at least $2.13 per hour; the additional amount claimed by the employer as a tip credit, which cannot exceed $5.12 (the difference between the minimum required direct (or cash) wage of $2.13 and the current minimum wage of $7.25); that the tip credit claimed by the employer cannot exceed the amount of tips actually received by the tipped employee; that all tips received by the tipped employee are to be retained by the employee except for a valid tip pooling arrangement limited to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips; and that the tip credit will not apply to any tipped employee unless the employee has been informed of these tip credit provisions.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
When state law gives more than the federal rule
In Massachusetts, when state law differs from the federal FLSA, an employer must comply with the standard most protective to employees. This means that if Massachusetts provides a higher cash wage, a higher overall minimum wage, or additional protections beyond what the federal rules require, the employer must follow the Massachusetts standard. For example, Massachusetts requires employers to pay tipped workers a minimum cash wage of $6.75 per hour, which is more protective than the federal floor. Under this rule, Massachusetts employers must pay that higher state amount rather than the lower federal figure. The same principle applies if Massachusetts prohibits the taking of a tip credit in certain circumstances, provides broader protections for tip pooling, or imposes additional notice requirements. Workers in Massachusetts are entitled to whichever set of rules—state or federal—gives them the greater wage or the stronger protection. Employers cannot choose the less protective standard simply because it happens to be allowed under one layer of law when another layer offers more.
When state law differs from the federal FLSA, an employer must comply with the standard most protective to employees.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
Your employer, your manager and your supervisor may not keep your tips
In Massachusetts, regardless of whether an employer takes a tip credit, the law prohibits employers from keeping any portion of employees' tips for any purpose, whether directly or through a tip pool. An employer may not require an employee to hand over their tips to the employer, a supervisor, or a manager. This protection holds even when a tipped employee receives at least the full state minimum wage per hour in direct wages and the employer takes no tip credit at all. The prohibition also covers managers and supervisors, who include anyone whose primary duty is managing the enterprise or a department, who regularly directs the work of at least two full-time employees, and who has hiring or firing authority or whose recommendations carry particular weight. Business owners who hold a bona fide equity interest and are actively engaged in management are similarly barred from keeping employees' tips. A manager or supervisor may keep only tips received directly from customers for service they personally and solely provide. This ensures that all tips earned by Massachusetts workers through their labor stay with them.
Regardless of whether an employer takes a tip credit, the FLSA prohibits employers from keeping any portion of employees’ tips for any purpose, whether directly or through a tip pool.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
Which tip pools you can be made to join
In Massachusetts, when an employer takes a tip credit, it can require tipped employees to contribute tips only to a tip pool which is limited to employees in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive tips. This is known as a traditional tip pool. Examples of eligible occupations include waiters, bellhops, counter personnel who serve customers, bussers, and service bartenders. The employer cannot include managers, supervisors, or back-of-house workers like dishwashers or cooks in a traditional tip pool. An employer that implements a traditional tip pool must notify tipped employees of any required tip pool contribution amount. The employer may only take a tip credit for tips each tipped employee ultimately receives after the pool distribution. The employer may not retain any of the employees' tips for any other purpose and may not allow managers and supervisors to receive tips from the pool. This rule ensures that tip pooling arrangements when a tip credit is taken are restricted to front-of-house workers who traditionally depend on tips as part of their compensation in Massachusetts.
An employer that takes a tip credit can require tipped employees to contribute tips only to a tip pool which is limited to employees in occupations in which they customarily and regularly receive tips, such as waiters, bellhops, counter personnel (who serve customers), bussers, and service bartenders.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (DOL)
Doing two jobs for one employer
In Massachusetts, when an employee works in a dual job situation—such as a hotel maintenance person who also serves as a server—the employee is a tipped employee only with respect to their employment as a server if they customarily and regularly receive at least $30 a month in tips for that work. The worker is employed in two separate occupations, and no tip credit can be taken for their hours worked in their other occupation, such as maintenance. This means the employer must pay the full state minimum wage for all hours the employee spends working in the non-tipped occupation. The employer may only apply the tip credit to hours the employee spends working as a server. This situation is different from a server who spends part of their time performing related duties like cleaning tables, toasting bread, or washing dishes, which are considered part of the server occupation. The dual job rule ensures that Massachusetts workers who perform substantially different jobs for the same employer receive proper compensation for each role, with the tip credit applying only to the tipped occupation.
In such a situation the employee, if they customarily and regularly receive at least $30 a month in tips for their work as a server, is a tipped employee only with respect to their employment as a server.
Fact Sheet #15: Tipped Employees Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) (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.
Minimum Wages for Tipped Employees (DOL)
- Minimum cash wage
Massachusetts $15.00 $8.25 $6.75 More than $20
Other years
- 2026
Every Massachusetts Tipped Minimum Wage year · Tipped Minimum Wage in every state