New Jersey minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in New Jersey is $15.92 an hour in 2026, rising to $16.48 on January 1, 2027. New Jersey's rate rises every January 1 with inflation under the state constitution and the Wage and Hour Law. Small and seasonal employers and farms pay lower rates that are catching up on a fixed schedule, and direct care staff in long-term care facilities earn $3 above the standard rate.
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At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $15.92 an hour, since January 1, 202632 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $16.48 on January 1, 2027 (announced)12 |
| Tipped employees | $6.05 cash wage, tip credit up to $9.873186410 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week14 · details |
| Full-time pay | $637 a week, $33,114 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Wage and Hour Compliance, 609-292-2305 |
What to know about the New Jersey minimum wage
New Jersey's minimum wage is protected in the state constitution. Article I, paragraph 23 requires an increase each January 1 equal to any rise in the consumer price index, and a 2019 law, P.L.2019, c.32, added a phase-in to $15.00 that most employers reached on January 1, 2024.10 Since then the standard rate has followed inflation: $15.49 in 2025, $15.92 in 2026 and $16.48 from January 1, 2027, announced on September 29, 2026.1
The 2019 law gave three groups a slower path. Employers with fewer than six employees and seasonal employers pay a rate that reaches $16.25 in 2027 and catches up with the standard rate in 2028. Farm workers paid by the hour or by piece rate reach $15.00 for the first time in 2027 and catch up in 2030. Direct care staff in long-term care facilities move the other way, earning $3 an hour above the standard rate, $19.48 from January 1, 2027.1
Tipped workers' cash wage has risen more slowly, from $4.13 in 2022 to $6.05 in 2026 and $6.61 in 2027, while the maximum tip credit has stayed at $9.87 since 2024.3 A worker who believes they were underpaid can file a wage complaint with the Division of Wage and Hour Compliance online, and employers must display the notices in the state's employer poster packet.13
All 2026 rates
Most employees get the standard rate. Employers with fewer than six employees and seasonal employers pay a lower rate that reaches the standard rate in 2028, and farms paying hourly or piece rates pay a still lower rate that reaches it in 2030. Direct care staff in long-term care facilities are owed $3 an hour more than the standard rate.
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| Most employers | Employers with six or more employees, outside seasonal and farm work$16.48 from January 1, 202712 | $15.9232 |
| Small and seasonal employers | Employers with fewer than six employees, and seasonal jobs$16.25 from January 1, 202712 | $15.2332 |
| Farm workers | Farm labor paid by the hour or by piece rate$15.00 from January 1, 202712 | $14.2032 |
| Long-term care direct care staff | Direct care staff at long-term care facilities, $3 above the standard rate$19.48 from January 1, 20271 | $18.923 |
| Training wage, first 120 hours | At least 90% of the minimum wage for the first 120 hours after hire, for an employee in an on-the-job training program in an occupation where they have no similar experience. Employers with repeated knowing violations lose the right to use it. | See rule1011 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $6.05 an hour3186410 |
| Maximum tip credit | $9.87 an hour |
Employers may count up to $9.87 an hour in tips, so the cash wage is $6.05 in 2026 and $6.61 from January 1, 2027.
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 rate14 |
|---|---|
| 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 New Jersey Wage and Hour Law.
Overtime at the minimum wage of $15.92 is $23.88 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
The New Jersey Constitution (Article I, paragraph 23) and N.J.S.A. 34:11-56a4 raise the standard rate each January 1 by any increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from August to August, and the department announces the new rates in late September or early October. The small, seasonal and farm rates follow fixed steps until they catch up, then rise with inflation.
The New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced the 2027 rates on September 29, 2026.
Indexed to inflation: yes. Adjusted each January 1 by any August-to-August rise in CPI-W under the state constitution.114
Rate history
Who is covered
The Wage and Hour Law covers most private and public employees in New Jersey. The usual exemptions, such as the overtime exemption for certain executive, administrative and professional employees, apply.
- The tipped cash wage was $5.26 in 2023 and 2024, and $5.62 in 2025.
- New Jersey's Earned Sick Leave law is enforced by the same Division of Wage and Hour Compliance.
Cities and counties
No New Jersey statute either allows or forbids local minimum wages; state law only lets counties and towns set higher wages for their own contractors and vendors (N.J.S.A. 34:11-56a4(h)). No locality has a general minimum wage.
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 |
|---|---|
| New York | $16.00 to $17.00 |
| Delaware | $15.00 |
| Pennsylvania | $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 | New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Wage and Hour Compliance |
|---|---|
| Phone | 609-292-2305 |
| The law | N.J. Const. Art. I, para. 23; N.J.S.A. 34:11-56a et seq. (New Jersey State Wage and Hour Law), incl. 34:11-56a4; N.J.A.C. 12:56-3.1 to 3.4 (minimum wage rates) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 11 Justia Regulations (mirror of N.J.A.C.), N.J.A.C. 12:56-3.4 Statutory minimum wage rate; training wage (Justia mirror of NJ Administrative Code) Secondary reference · Checked Oct 9, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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