Kansas minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Kansas is $7.25 an hour in 2026. Kansas sets a state minimum of $7.25 in K.S.A. 44-1203, unchanged since January 1, 2010, but that law applies only where the federal Fair Labor Standards Act does not. Most Kansas employers are federally covered and owe the federal rate instead; the state rate protects workers of employers outside federal law, with its own long list of exclusions.
Contents11 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $7.25 an hour, since January 1, 2010157 |
|---|---|
| Next change | None scheduled. |
| Tipped employees | $2.13 cash wage, tip credit up to $5.1216 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 46 hours a week9105 · details |
| Full-time pay | $290 a week, $15,080 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Kansas Department of Labor, Labor Standards |
What to know about the Kansas minimum wage
Kansas has its own minimum wage statute, K.S.A. 44-1203, and it has set $7.25 since January 1, 2010.1 But the law steps aside wherever federal law applies: it excludes any employment covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act.5 In practice, then, the federal government sets the wage for most Kansans, and the state law fills in only for jobs federal law leaves out.
Those jobs are mainly at small businesses with less than $500,000 in yearly sales whose employees do not regularly handle interstate work, since federal coverage reaches larger businesses, hospitals, schools and public agencies, and any worker whose job regularly crosses state lines.8 Even within that group, Kansas law leaves out agricultural and domestic workers, executive, administrative and professional staff, nonprofit volunteers, and workers 18 or under who work occasionally or part time.2
The biggest practical difference for workers under state law only is overtime. K.S.A. 44-1204 starts time and a half after 46 hours a week, not 40, so a worker at a small local business may work six more hours before overtime applies than a worker covered federally.3 Tipped employees under either law are owed at least $2.13 an hour in cash in 2026. Cities and counties have no room to go further: K.S.A. 12-16,130 bars them from requiring a higher wage.
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $2.13 an hour16 |
| Maximum tip credit | $5.12 an hour |
Tipped employees must be paid at least $2.13 an hour in cash in 2026.
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 46 hours in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate9105 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Time and a half after 46 hours a week (K.S.A. 44-1204), but only for employers and employees not covered by the federal FLSA; FLSA-covered employees are owed federal overtime after 40 hours.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $7.25 is $10.875 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
K.S.A. 44-1203 has fixed the rate at $7.25 since January 1, 2010. It is not indexed to inflation and changes only by legislation.
Indexed to inflation: no. Not indexed; fixed at $7.25 in K.S.A. 44-1203.5
Rate history
Who is covered
The state law does not apply to employers and employees covered by the federal act. It also excludes agricultural and domestic workers, executive, administrative and professional employees, federal employees, nonprofit volunteers, and workers 18 or under who work occasionally or part time. For employers under state law only, overtime starts after 46 hours a week.
- The 46-hour overtime threshold in K.S.A. 44-1204 applies only to employers outside federal coverage; federally covered employers pay overtime after 40 hours.
- Most Kansas employers fall under federal law, so the federal rate and federal overtime rules are what most workers see.
Cities and counties
Cities and counties may not require employers to pay more than the minimum wage unless state or federal law requires it (K.S.A. 12-16,130).
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 |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $15.16 |
| Missouri | $15.00 |
| Nebraska | $15.00 |
| Oklahoma | $7.25 |
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 | Kansas Department of Labor, Labor Standards |
|---|---|
| The law | K.S.A. 44-1203 (minimum wage); K.S.A. 44-1202 (definitions; FLSA exclusion); K.S.A. 44-1204 (overtime after 46 hours); K.S.A. 12-16,130 (local preemption) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
- 1 Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 44-1203 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 2 Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 44-1202 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 3 Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 44-1204 Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 4 Kansas Office of Revisor of Statutes, K.S.A. 12-16,130 Checked Oct 9, 2026
- 5 U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, State Minimum Wage Laws Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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