District of Columbia minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in District of Columbia is $18.40 an hour in 2026. The District adjusts its minimum wage every July 1 for Washington-area inflation. Its tipped cash wage, first raised under Initiative 82, has been set as a share of the full minimum since July 1, 2026, rising in steps to 75% in 2034.
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At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $18.40 an hour, since July 1, 202634 |
|---|---|
| Next change | The July 1, 2027 rate follows from 2026 Washington-area inflation and is usually published in the spring. The tipped cash wage stays at 56% of the minimum until it rises to 60% on July 1, 2028. |
| Tipped employees | $10.30 cash wage, tip credit up to $8.1014 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week13 · details |
| Full-time pay | $736 a week, $38,272 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | DC Department of Employment Services, Office of Wage-Hour Compliance, 202-724-7000 |
What to know about the District of Columbia minimum wage
The District changes its minimum wage on July 1, not January 1. The Minimum Wage Revision Act, D.C. Code 32-1003, set fixed steps up to $15.00 on July 1, 2020; since July 1, 2021 the rate has followed the average consumer price index for the Washington metropolitan area, rounded to the nearest five cents.1 That formula produced $18.40 on July 1, 2026.3 The Department of Employment Services must publish each new rate in the D.C. Register at least 30 days before it takes effect, so the July 1, 2027 figure usually appears in the spring of 2027.
Tipped pay follows a separate schedule. Voters approved Initiative 82 in 2022 to phase out the tip credit, and the cash wage rose to $6.00 on May 1, 2023, $8.00 on July 1, 2023 and $10.00 on July 1, 2024.1 In 2025 the Council cancelled the next step and replaced the rest of the schedule with percentages of the full minimum: 56% from July 1, 2026, which is $10.30, then 60% on July 1, 2028, 65% in 2030, 70% in 2032 and 75% on July 1, 2034.1 Employers using the credit must give written notice of the tip rules and their tip-sharing policy, and must make up any shortfall when tips fall short.
Coverage depends on where the work happens rather than where the employer is based. Anyone who spends more than half their working time in the District is covered, and so is every hour worked there by someone who works at least two hours in the District for the same employer in a week.1 The Office of Wage-Hour Compliance at the Department of Employment Services enforces these rules.2
All 2026 rates
Most workers get the full minimum wage. Employers may pay tipped employees a lower cash wage, 56% of the minimum from July 1, 2026, as long as tips bring them to the full rate; that share rises every two years until 2034.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum wage | Most employers in the District | $18.4034 |
| Tipped cash wage | Private-sector tipped employees, with tips making up the rest of the full minimum | $10.3014 |
| Office building security officers | At least the federal Service Contract Act wage plus fringe rate for a level-one guard in effect on the previous September 1 (D.C. Code 32-1003(h)). | See rule1 |
| Workers with disabilities | The full minimum wage applies unless the employer holds a federal certificate under section 14(c) of the Fair Labor Standards Act (D.C. Code 32-1003(d)). | See rule1 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $10.30 an hour14 |
| Maximum tip credit | $8.10 an hour |
From July 1, 2026 the tipped cash wage is 56% of the minimum wage ($10.30); the share rises to 60% on July 1, 2028, 65% in 2030, 70% in 2032 and 75% on July 1, 2034. Employers must give written notice of the tip rules and their tip-sharing policy, and the steps do not apply to District government employees or government contract workers.
An employer that takes a tip credit must make up the difference whenever wages plus tips fall short of the full minimum wage for the workweek. See the tipped minimum wage guide.
Overtime and salaried staff
| Weekly overtime | After 40 hours in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate13 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Time and a half after 40 hours a week under the D.C. Minimum Wage Revision Act (D.C. Code 32-1003(c)).
Overtime at the minimum wage of $18.40 is $27.60 an hour. Salaried managers, administrators and professionals are exempt from overtime only if they meet the duties tests and are paid at least the exempt salary. See overtime rules in every state or calculate pay with overtime.
How the rate changes
Every July 1 the rate rises by the annual average change in the consumer price index for the Washington metropolitan area in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest five cents. The Department of Employment Services publishes the new rate in the D.C. Register at least 30 days before it takes effect. The tipped cash wage is a fixed percentage of the full rate.
Indexed to inflation: yes. Adjusted each July 1 by the prior year's average CPI-U change for the Washington area, rounded to the nearest 5 cents.13
Rate history
Who is covered
Covers employees who regularly spend more than half their working time in the District, or who are based there and spend a substantial part of their time there without spending more than half in any one state. Anyone working at least two hours in the District for the same employer in a week is owed the minimum for each hour worked there (D.C. Code 32-1003). Exceptions are listed in D.C. Code 32-1004.
- Initiative 82 (2022) set out to phase out the tip credit; in 2025 the Council repealed the July 2025 step and replaced the schedule with percentage steps from 56% in 2026 to 75% in 2034.
- City contractors and grant recipients are covered by a separate Living Wage Act rate.
- Overtime at 1.5 times pay is owed after 40 hours a week.
- Office building security officers must receive at least the federal Service Contract Act guard wage plus fringe rate in effect the previous September 1.
Cities and counties
Not applicable: the District is a single jurisdiction, and its Council sets the minimum wage directly, subject to congressional review of District laws.
Largest cities in District of Columbia
- WashingtonDistrict $18.40
Cities of District of Columbia among the 50 most populous in the US (U.S. Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 estimates for July 1, 2025). “Local” marks a city with its own minimum wage, “Regional” a state wage region, and “Federal rate” a city where the federal $7.25 is the rate that applies.
Neighboring states
If you live near a state line, the rate that applies is the one where you do the work, not where you live or where the employer is based.
| State | Per hour now |
|---|---|
| Maryland | $15.00 |
| Virginia | $12.77 |
Compare every state on the ranked list and map.
Get help or file a claim
If you are paid less than the minimum wage that applies to your job, you can file a wage claim with the agency below. Federal law prohibits firing or otherwise retaliating against a worker for complaining about federal minimum wage rights.
| Agency | DC Department of Employment Services, Office of Wage-Hour Compliance |
|---|---|
| Phone | 202-724-7000 |
| The law | D.C. Code 32-1003 (minimum wage, tipped wage); D.C. Code 32-1004 (exceptions) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 2 DC Department of Employment Services, Labor Standards/Worker Protection Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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Is a rate wrong or out of date? Report an error