Nebraska minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Nebraska is $15.00 an hour in 2026, rising to $15.26 on January 1, 2027. Nebraska's $15.00 is the last step of Initiative 433, which voters passed in 2022. A 2026 law, LB 258, swapped the initiative's inflation indexing for a fixed 1.75% raise every January 1 from 2027, and added a lower youth wage for 14- and 15-year-olds.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $15.00 an hour, since January 1, 202615 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $15.26 on January 1, 2027 (announced)7 |
| Tipped employees | $2.13 cash wage, tip credit up to $12.8716 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week (federal law only)58 · details |
| Full-time pay | $600 a week, $31,200 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Nebraska Department of Labor, Labor Standards, 402-471-2239 |
What to know about the Nebraska minimum wage
Nebraska voters set the path to the 2026 rate of $15.00 directly. Initiative 433, approved in November 2022, raised the minimum from $9.00 to $10.50 in 2023, $12.00 in 2024, $13.50 in 2025 and $15.00 in 2026, and called for inflation adjustments after that.1 In its 2026 session the Legislature changed the formula with LB 258: from January 1, 2027 the rate rises by a flat 1.75% a year, regardless of inflation.4 The Nebraska Department of Labor must publish each new figure by October 15, and its poster updated July 31, 2026 lists $15.26 for January 1, 2027.7
LB 258 also added a new youth wage and reset the existing training wage in section 48-1203.01, both from July 18, 2026. Workers aged 14 and 15 who are not emancipated may be paid a youth wage of $13.50, rising 1.5% every fifth year from 2030, and the training wage that new employees aged 16 to 19 may be paid for up to 90 days is $13.50, rising 1.5% a year from 2027.2 An employer may use the training wage for no more than a quarter of its total paid hours. Student-learners in vocational programs may be paid 75% of the minimum.
Tipped workers have not shared in the increases. Their cash wage was $2.13 an hour in 2026, a figure fixed in statute, and the employer must prove that a worker is paid by tips.1 The state law covers only employers with four or more employees, and leaves out the state and local governments, agricultural workers and babysitters in private homes; smaller employers covered by federal law owe the federal $7.25, in force since July 24, 2009.3
All 2026 rates
Adults get $15.00 from January 1, 2026 and $15.26 from January 1, 2027. Since July 18, 2026, employers may pay a new youth wage of $13.50 to 14- and 15-year-olds who are not emancipated, and the existing training wage for new employees aged 16 to 19, for up to 90 days, is also $13.50. Student-learners in vocational programs may be paid 75% of the minimum.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum | Employers with four or more employees$15.26 from January 1, 20277 | $15.0015 |
| Youth, ages 14 and 15 | For workers aged 14 or 15 who are not emancipated, since July 18, 2026. Rises 1.5% on January 1, 2030 and every fifth year after. | $13.5014 |
| Training wage, new employees aged 16 to 19 | Up to 90 days from hire, plus another 90 days during on-the-job training approved by the Commissioner of Labor; not for seasonal, migrant or emancipated workers. $13.50 through December 31, 2026, then rising 1.5% each January 1. | $13.502 |
| Student-learners | At least 75% of the minimum wage for students in bona fide vocational training programs. | See rule1 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $2.13 an hour16 |
| Maximum tip credit | $12.87 an hour |
Employers must pay tipped employees, such as servers, bellhops and porters, at least $2.13 an hour in cash in 2026, and must prove that an employee is paid by tips. That figure is fixed in law and does not rise with the main rate.
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 | No state rule; employers covered by federal law pay 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week58 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Nebraska has no general state overtime law. Employers covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act must pay time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $15.00 is $22.50 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
From January 1, 2027 the rate rises by a fixed 1.75% each January 1 under LB 258, replacing the inflation index in Initiative 433.
The Department of Labor's poster also lists the later fixed steps: $15.53 in 2028, $15.80 in 2029 and $16.08 in 2030.
Indexed to inflation: no. Not inflation-indexed, but rises a fixed 1.75% each January 1 from 2027 under Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203(2).9
Rate history
| Effective | Status | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2030 | Set in law | $16.087 |
| January 1, 2029 | Set in law | $15.807 |
| January 1, 2028 | Set in law | $15.537 |
| January 1, 2027 | Announced | $15.267 |
| January 1, 2026 | In effect now Final Initiative 433 step | $15.0015 |
| January 1, 2025 | $13.501 | |
| January 1, 2024 | $12.001 | |
| January 1, 2023 | $10.501 | |
| January 1, 2022 | $9.001 |
Who is covered
The Wage and Hour Act covers employers with four or more employees at any one time, not counting seasonal work of 20 weeks or less a year; the state and local governments are not covered. Agricultural workers, babysitters in private homes, executive, administrative and professional employees and others listed in Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1202 are excluded. Smaller employers covered by federal law must still pay the federal minimum.
Local rates in Nebraska
No Nebraska statute expressly addresses local minimum wages. Omaha adopted its own minimum wage in 2026, in effect since October 1, 2026, and the Nebraska Attorney General has sued the city, arguing that it conflicts with LB 258; Lincoln's 2026 ordinance was blocked by a Lancaster County court in July 2026 and has not taken effect.
Places with their own rate
- Omaha$15.00
Each local page lists that place's tiers, next change and who is covered.
Largest cities in Nebraska
- OmahaLocal $15.00
Cities of Nebraska 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 |
|---|---|
| Colorado | $15.16 |
| Missouri | $15.00 |
| South Dakota | $11.85 |
| Iowa | $7.25 |
| Kansas | $7.25 |
| Wyoming | $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 | Nebraska Department of Labor, Labor Standards |
|---|---|
| Phone | 402-471-2239 |
| The law | Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203; Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203.01; Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1202 |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 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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- 8 U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Overtime Pay Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
- 9 Nebraska Legislature, Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-1203 Minimum wage Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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