Virginia minimum wage 2026
The minimum wage in Virginia is $12.77 an hour in 2026, rising to $13.75 on January 1, 2027. Virginia's path is set by 2026 Acts of Assembly chapters 350 and 351, which add a $15.00 step on January 1, 2028 and yearly inflation adjustments from January 1, 2029. The state rate also binds state and local government employers.
Contents12 sections
At a glance
| Minimum wage now | $12.77 an hour, since January 1, 2026135 |
|---|---|
| Next change | $13.75 on January 1, 2027 (set in law)13 |
| Tipped employees | $2.13 cash wage, tip credit up to $10.6426 |
| Overtime | 1.5 times the regular rate after 40 hours a week9 · details |
| Full-time pay | $511 a week, $26,562 a year at 40 hours a week before taxes · calculate for your hours |
| Enforced by | Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, 804-371-2327 |
What to know about the Virginia minimum wage
Virginia's minimum wage was raised by a law passed in 2020 and reset by another in 2026. Under the 2020 law the rate reached $11.00 on January 1, 2022 and $12.00 on January 1, 2023, stayed at $12.00 through 2024, and then followed inflation to $12.41 in 2025 and $12.77 on January 1, 2026.73 The 2026 General Assembly, in Acts of Assembly chapters 350 and 351, replaced that path with fixed steps written into Va. Code 40.1-28.10: $13.75 on January 1, 2027 and $15.00 on January 1, 2028.1
From January 1, 2029, the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adds the percentage rise in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers for the most recent calendar year, announcing each new rate by October 1 starting in 2028, and the rate cannot go down.1 At every stage the statute requires the greater of the Virginia rate or the federal minimum.
The Virginia Minimum Wage Act covers state and local government employers as well as private ones, but its definition of employee leaves out many groups, including anyone under 16, certain full-time students, babysitters working under 10 hours a week, golf caddies, summer camp staff, nonprofit volunteers, au pairs and temporary foreign workers, and people exempt from the federal minimum wage.2 Workers in an approved on-the-job training program may be paid 75% of the state rate for up to 90 days, but never less than the federal minimum.1
Employers may count tips toward the wage of employees who customarily receive more than $30 a month in tips;2 the U.S. Department of Labor lists the minimum cash wage as $2.13 in 2026.6 Employees can file a payment of wage claim with the Department of Labor and Industry.3
All 2026 rates
| Rate | Applies to | Per hour |
|---|---|---|
| State minimum wage | Employers of employees covered by the Virginia Minimum Wage Act, including state and local government$13.75 from January 1, 202713 | $12.77135 |
| Approved on-the-job training program (up to 90 days) | 75% of the Virginia minimum wage or the federal minimum, whichever is greater, for up to 90 days. | See rule1 |
Tipped employees
| Tip credit | Allowed |
|---|---|
| Minimum cash wage | $2.13 an hour26 |
| Maximum tip credit | $10.64 an hour |
Employers may count tips toward the minimum for employees who customarily receive more than $30 a month in tips; the U.S. Department of Labor lists the minimum cash wage as $2.13 an hour in 2026. Tips plus cash wage must reach the state minimum.
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 rate9 |
|---|---|
| Daily overtime | None in state law |
| Exempt salary | The federal level, $684 a week ($35,568 a year) |
Virginia applies the federal FLSA overtime rule, time and a half after 40 hours a week, with its definitions and exemptions, and lets employees recover unpaid overtime under state law (Va. Code 40.1-29.2).
Overtime at the minimum wage of $12.77 is $19.155 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, 2029 the Commissioner of Labor and Industry adjusts the rate each year by the prior calendar year's rise in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, announcing it by October 1; the rate cannot go down.
Indexed to inflation: yes. Fixed steps of $13.75 in 2027 and $15.00 in 2028; from January 1, 2029 adjusted each year by national CPI-U.1
Rate history
Who is covered
The Virginia Minimum Wage Act covers private employers and state and local government. Its definition of employee excludes, among others, people under 16, certain full-time students and work-study students, babysitters working under 10 hours a week, golf caddies, summer camp staff, nonprofit volunteers, State Department au pairs, certain temporary foreign workers and people exempt from the federal minimum wage. Farm laborers and farm employees are also excluded until January 1, 2027, when 2026 amendments (Acts of Assembly chapters 357 and 358) bring them under the state minimum wage.
- The 2025 and 2026 rates were inflation adjustments under the 2020 law; the 2026 Acts of Assembly chapters 350 and 351 replaced them with fixed steps to $15.00 by January 1, 2028.
- The rate did not change on January 1, 2024 and stayed at $12.00.
- Employees can file a payment of wage claim with the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, which also provides the required workplace posters.
Cities and counties
Virginia law does not expressly address local minimum wages, and no Virginia city or county has adopted one.
Largest cities in Virginia
- Virginia BeachState $12.77
Cities of Virginia 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 |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $18.40 |
| Maryland | $15.00 |
| West Virginia | $8.75 |
| Kentucky | $7.25 |
| North Carolina | $7.25 |
| Tennessee | $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 | Virginia Department of Labor and Industry |
|---|---|
| Phone | 804-371-2327 |
| The law | Va. Code 40.1-28.10 (Minimum wages); Va. Code 40.1-28.9 (Definitions; tips); Va. Code Title 40.1, Chapter 3, Article 1.1 (Virginia Minimum Wage Act) |
| Federal | U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 1-866-487-9243 |
Sources
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- 4 Virginia Department of Labor and Industry, Contact Us Checked Oct 9, 2026
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- 9 Virginia General Assembly, Va. Code 40.1-29.2 Employer liability (overtime) Checked Oct 28, 2026 · Back to text ↑
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