| Rate type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Standard minimum wage | $7.25 per hour |
| Tipped employee cash wage | $2.83 per hour |
| Maximum tip credit | $4.42 per hour |
| Who counts as tipped | Employees who receive at least $135 a month in tips |
| Learners and students (special certificate) | 85% of the minimum wage |
| Overtime | 1.5x the regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek |
Sources: 34 Pa. Code section 231.101a, the Department of Labor and Industry (L&I) Minimum Wage Law Summary and the U.S. DOL tipped wage table.
Pennsylvania’s Minimum Wage Act sets $7.25, effective July 24, 2009, matching the federal rate. The U.S. Department of Labor state table, updated November 5, 2026, still lists $7.25, and no official source we checked shows an increase for January 1, 2027. Watch L&I for any change.
L&I’s tipped worker rules, in effect since August 5, 2022, go further than many states:
Check the math with the tip credit calculator and read our tip pooling rules.
With a Special Certificate from the Bureau of Labor Law Compliance, learners may be paid 85% of the minimum for up to 40 hours a week for up to eight weeks, and bona fide high school or college students for up to 20 hours a week, or 40 during school vacations. Exemptions from both minimum wage and overtime include farm labor, domestic service in a private home, golf caddies, newspaper delivery, outside sales and properly classified executive, administrative and professional employees. For hours rules for minors and pay timing, see our Pennsylvania labor laws guide.
Non-exempt employees earn 1.5 times their regular rate after 40 hours in a workweek. For non-exempt salaried staff, L&I divides weekly pay by 40 to find the regular rate, and bonuses count in the week paid. See the FLSA overtime rules too.
For a tipped server, overtime is based on the full $7.25: each overtime hour costs at least $10.875 minus the $4.42 tip credit, or $6.46 in cash.
| State | Basic minimum wage (Nov. 2026) |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | $7.25 |
| New York | $16.00 ($17.00 in NYC, Long Island and Westchester) |
| New Jersey | $15.92 |
| Delaware, Maryland | $15.00 |
| Ohio | $11.00 (larger employers) |
| West Virginia | $8.75 |
Figures from the U.S. Department of Labor state table, updated November 5, 2026. Employers near state lines often pay well above $7.25 to hire.
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$7.25 per hour, the same as the federal rate, effective since July 24, 2009.
$2.83 per hour in cash for employees who receive at least $135 a month in tips. Wages plus tips must reach $7.25.
A tip-credited employee may spend no more than 20% of weekly hours on non-tipped work. Time over that limit must be paid at $7.25.
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Updated November 2026. Rates verified against official state sources on November 14, 2026. General information only; not legal advice.