Florida minimum wage 2026: $15 rate, tipped wage and next step

The Florida minimum wage is $15.00 an hour as of September 30, 2026. That was the last of six yearly steps approved by voters in 2020, and it applies to every employee covered by the federal minimum wage who works in Florida. Tipped employees can be paid a direct wage of $11.98 an hour, as long as tips make up the rest. The rate does not change on September 30, 2027. Instead, Florida goes back to yearly inflation increases, and the first one takes effect on January 1, 2028. This guide covers the official figures from the Florida Department of Commerce (FloridaCommerce), worked pay examples, tip credit rules, and a checklist for employers.

Florida minimum wage 2026: $15.00 an hour

FloridaCommerce’s official announcement, updated September 30, 2026, says the minimum wage in Florida is $15.00 per hour effective September 30, 2026, and that this rate “will be effective from September 30, 2026 to December 31, 2027.” Employers must pay at least this amount for all hours worked in Florida.

Who is covered. Florida ties its definitions of employer, employee and wage to the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the Florida Minimum Wage Act (section 448.110, Florida Statutes), only people entitled to the federal minimum wage are eligible for the state minimum wage, so workers who are exempt under the FLSA are generally exempt in Florida too. For everyone else, the $15.00 Florida rate replaces the $7.25 federal minimum, because an employer must pay whichever is higher.

The next increase: inflation adjustments from 2027

Amendment 2, approved by Florida voters on November 3, 2020, raised the wage to $10.00 on September 30, 2021, then by $1.00 every September 30 until it reached $15.00 in 2026. It is written into Article X, Section 24 of the Florida Constitution.

Now that the wage has reached $15.00, the old indexing method returns. FloridaCommerce’s 2026 notice says: “Resuming in September 2027, the minimum wage will be adjusted annually for inflation and will take effect on the following January 1.” Section 448.110 explains how the number is set:

• FloridaCommerce calculates the adjusted rate each September 30, using inflation over the 12 months before September 1.
• It uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W), not seasonally adjusted, for the South region.
• The state must post the new rate on its websites by October 15 each year, and the new rate takes effect on the following January 1.

In practice, expect FloridaCommerce to announce the 2028 rate in fall 2027, with a payroll change on January 1, 2028. Nobody knows the exact figure yet, because it depends on inflation through August 2027.

Pay examples at the minimum wage in Florida

These examples show gross pay before taxes for a non-exempt employee paid only by the hour.

Example with overtime. A warehouse associate earns $15.00 an hour and works 45 hours in one workweek. Florida follows federal overtime rules, so the 5 hours over 40 are paid at $22.50 ($15.00 × 1.5).

1. Regular pay: 40 hours × $15.00 = $600.00.
2. Overtime pay: 5 hours × $22.50 = $112.50.
3. Total for the week: $600.00 + $112.50 = $712.50.

The same week at the old $14.00 rate paid $560.00 + (5 × $21.00) = $665.00, so the increase adds $47.50 for this employee. If someone also earns a bonus or a night premium, it goes into the regular rate before you multiply; how to calculate overtime walks through those weeks, and the overtime calculator does the math for you.

Florida minimum wage history since 2019

These figures come from FloridaCommerce’s published minimum wage history (2000 to 2026). Before Amendment 2, Florida adjusted its rate for inflation every January 1. The tipped column is the regular rate minus the $3.02 tip credit.

The federal minimum wage has stayed at $7.25 since July 24, 2009. Florida’s rate is now more than double it. For a side-by-side look at other states, see our minimum wage by state guide. Texas, for example, still uses the $7.25 federal rate, as our Texas minimum wage guide explains, while the California minimum wage is $16.90 in 2026.

Florida tipped minimum wage and tip credit rules

The Florida tipped minimum wage is $11.98 an hour from September 30, 2026. The Florida Constitution fixes the tip credit at the federal amount in effect in 2003, which is $3.02, so the cash wage is always the minimum wage minus $3.02. It is much higher than the federal tipped cash wage of $2.13, and Florida employers must pay the higher state figure.

Because Florida uses the FLSA’s tip credit rules, the U.S. Department of Labor’s guidance (Fact Sheet 15) applies. The main points:

• Who counts as tipped. A tipped employee customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tips. Servers, bartenders, bussers and valets usually qualify; cooks and dishwashers do not.
• The tip credit notice. Before taking the credit, tell each tipped employee: the cash wage you pay, the tip credit you claim, that the credit cannot exceed the tips they actually receive, that they keep all tips except through a valid tip pool, and that you cannot take the credit unless they have been told these things. The notice can be spoken or written, but a signed written copy is far easier to prove later. Update it when the rate changes.
• Make up any shortfall. If tips plus the cash wage do not reach $15.00 for every hour in the workweek, you must pay the difference by the regular payday.
• Tip pools. If you take a tip credit, a mandatory pool can include only employees who customarily and regularly receive tips. If you pay everyone the full $15.00 and take no credit, the pool may also include back-of-house staff such as cooks and dishwashers.
• Owners and managers. Employers, managers and supervisors may not keep any part of employees’ tips or take a share of a tip pool.
• Card fees. You may deduct the actual card processing percentage from card tips, but not more, and not if it pushes pay below the minimum wage.

Example: tip shortfall. A server works 30 hours in a slow week and receives $60.00 in tips. Cash wages are 30 × $11.98 = $359.40. Tips plus wages equal $419.40, but the minimum for the week is 30 × $15.00 = $450.00. The employer owes an extra $30.60 that payday. In a normal week with $300.00 in tips, no top-up is needed.

Overtime for tipped staff. Overtime is figured on the full minimum wage, not the cash wage. At $15.00, the overtime rate is $22.50, and with the $3.02 credit the employer pays at least $19.48 in cash per overtime hour. A server working 45 hours earns at least 40 × $11.98 = $479.20 plus 5 × $19.48 = $97.40, or $576.60 in cash wages, before tips.

No local minimum wages in Florida

Florida cities and counties cannot set their own minimum wage for private employers. Section 218.077 of the Florida Statutes says a political subdivision “may not establish, mandate, maintain, or otherwise require an employer to pay a minimum wage, other than a state or federal minimum wage.” The same law bars local governments from requiring extra employment benefits that state or federal law does not require.

The law was amended in 2024 (chapter 2024-80, Laws of Florida). In its current form, local governments also may not use their purchasing or contracting procedures, bid scoring or bidder qualifications to control the wages or benefits of vendors and contractors. A note to the statute says the 2024 changes do not impair contracts signed before September 30, 2026. The remaining exceptions let a county or city set higher pay for its own employees, and for employers that receive a direct tax abatement or subsidy, as a condition of that deal.

So a café in Miami, a store in Orlando and a crew in Tampa all start from the same $15.00. If you have a city or county contract with wage terms, check its signing date and ask the agency or your attorney how the 2024 law applies.

Overtime, minors and exempt employees

• Overtime. Florida has no separate daily overtime rule. Non-exempt employees are owed 1.5 times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek under the FLSA.
• Minors. FloridaCommerce’s notice lists no separate youth or training rate, so plan on paying teenage employees the full $15.00. Hours and job limits for workers under 18 come from Florida’s child labor law, enforced by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and from federal rules. Check both before scheduling minors.
• Exempt salaries. Florida does not set its own salary threshold. Exempt status follows the federal tests, and the salary level the U.S. Department of Labor currently enforces is $684 a week ($35,568 a year). Duties count as much as pay, as our exempt vs non-exempt guide explains.

Minimum wage posters and wage claims

Posters. Section 448.109, Florida Statutes, requires employers who must pay the Florida minimum wage to post the state notice “in a conspicuous and accessible place in each establishment where these employees work.” FloridaCommerce publishes the 2026–2027 poster in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. You must also display the federal FLSA minimum wage poster from the U.S. Department of Labor. Replace both when new versions come out; the next Florida poster is expected before the January 1, 2028 change.

Notice before a lawsuit. FloridaCommerce’s notices describe two routes for enforcing the state minimum wage: a lawsuit by the employee or a civil action by the Attorney General. They do not describe a state complaint office. Before an employee can sue, the Florida Minimum Wage Act sets a pre-suit step:

1. The employee sends the employer a written notice of intent to sue. It must state the minimum wage claimed, the actual or estimated dates and hours worked, and the total unpaid wages to date.
2. The employer has 15 calendar days after receiving it to pay or otherwise resolve the claim. The statute of limitations pauses during that time.
3. If the claim is not resolved, the employee can sue for back wages, an equal amount in liquidated damages, and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs. Cases can also be brought as class actions.

The Florida Attorney General may also sue and seek a fine of $1,000 per willful violation, payable to the state. Retaliating against someone for raising a minimum wage complaint is illegal. Employees can also contact the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division about federal minimum wage and overtime problems. If a notice lands on your desk, take the 15 days seriously: check the time records, then call your attorney.

What employers should do before the next change

1. Confirm the September 30, 2026 change went through. Check that every hourly rate is at least $15.00 and every tipped cash wage is at least $11.98, starting with hours worked on September 30. A pay period that straddled that date needs both rates applied correctly.
2. Reissue tip credit notices. The cash wage and credit amounts changed, so give tipped staff an updated written notice and keep a signed copy.
3. Swap the posters. Put up the 2026–2027 FloridaCommerce notice at every location, in the languages your staff read.
4. Look at pay compression. A shift lead who earned $14.75 in September now earns less than a new hire. Decide on raises before the next schedule is published.
5. Mark fall 2027 on the calendar. The 2028 rate will be calculated on September 30, 2027 and should be posted by October 15, 2027. Budget for it in your 2028 labor plan.
6. Update payroll for January 1, 2028. Change base rates, the tipped cash wage (new rate minus $3.02) and overtime rates for the first pay period with hours on or after that date.
7. Keep clean time records. In a minimum wage dispute, accurate hours are your best defense. Our guide to reading a pay stub shows what employees will check.

A shift scheduling tool that shows labor cost per shift makes the new rate visible before the week starts, and a time clock app gives you punch records you can stand behind if a claim ever arrives.

Frequently asked questions