Wisconsin's minimum wage matches the federal rate, but its wage-and-hour rules have details of their own, including an "opportunity wage" for young new hires, a meal-period rule for minors, state rules on compensatory time and a state family and medical leave law. The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) enforces these labor standards. Below are the main rules for 2026.
EZTime labor rule alerts flag overtime and missed rest periods before payroll.
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $7.25/hour; DWD rates |
| Opportunity wage | $5.90/hour for workers under 20 during their first 90 days |
| Tipped employees | $2.33/hour cash wage ($2.13 for opportunity employees) |
| Overtime | 1.5x after 40 hours/week; no daily overtime for adults; DWD |
| Meal break | Required for minors under 18 (30 minutes on shifts over 6 hours); recommended for adults |
| Rest break | Not required; breaks under 30 minutes must be paid |
| Family and medical leave | Unpaid job-protected leave at employers with 50+ employees; WFMLA |
| Paydays | At least monthly, no more than 31 days apart; DWD |
| Final pay | On the employer's regular pay schedule |
| Child labor | Work permits required for most minors under 16 |
Wisconsin's standard minimum wage is $7.25 per hour, the same as the federal rate, according to DWD's minimum wage rates notice and the U.S. DOL state table. No state increase for January 1, 2027 has been announced on DWD's site.
An "opportunity employee" is a worker who is not yet 20 years old and has worked for the employer for 90 or fewer consecutive calendar days from the date of first hire. Employers may pay opportunity employees $5.90 per hour. After the 90 days, or once the employee turns 20, the regular minimum applies.
The minimum cash wage for tipped employees is $2.33 per hour, or $2.13 per hour for tipped opportunity employees. The DOL tipped wage table lists Wisconsin's maximum tip credit as $4.92. Tips plus the cash wage must still reach at least the applicable minimum wage.
DWD also sets special minimums for some roles. Agricultural employees, adults and minors, receive $7.25 per hour. Camp counselors are paid weekly minimums of $210 with board and lodging, $265 with board only and $350 with neither. Golf caddies receive $5.90 for 9 holes and $10.50 for 18. DWD caps the credit employers may take for meals and lodging; for non-agricultural, non-opportunity employees the maximum is $87.00 per week or $4.15 per meal and $58.00 per week or $8.30 per day for lodging.
The DWD sources we reviewed list only statewide rates; we found no local minimum wages for private employers. Check with DWD if a local ordinance is raised with you.
Covered workers must receive one and one-half times their regular rate for all hours worked over 40 in a workweek, according to DWD's hours of work and overtime fact sheet. There is no general daily overtime rule.
Wisconsin permits compensatory time off in place of overtime pay, but it must still be at the overtime rate: the worker is entitled to 1.5 hours of comp time for each overtime hour worked. For nongovernment employers, DWD adds that comp time must be used within 31 days of being earned. If your business is also covered by the federal FLSA, confirm the federal rules on comp time before adopting a policy.
Wisconsin's exemptions turn on job duties and pay. The state lists separate salary tests for executive and administrative workers (at least $700 per month) and professional workers (at least $750 per month), plus exemptions for certain sales workers, drivers, agricultural workers and computer professionals. Those state thresholds are lower than federal ones, so employers covered by the FLSA must also meet the federal test. Our FLSA overtime guide explains the federal side, and the overtime calculator checks weekly totals.
Employees under 18 must receive a 30-minute, duty-free meal period when working a shift longer than six hours. DWD's hours of work for minors notice puts it as minors "may not work more than 6 consecutive hours" without one.
For adults, Wisconsin recommends but does not require meal breaks. The DOL meal-period table describes the recommended standard as half an hour after six consecutive hours of work, given close to the usual mealtime or near the middle of the shift. When an employer does provide a meal period, it must be paid if the employee is not completely relieved of duty for at least 30 consecutive minutes or is not free to leave the premises. Employers also cannot require that meals be counted as part of wages.
State law does not require coffee breaks or short rest periods. Any rest period or break of less than 30 consecutive minutes is considered work time and must be paid.
The Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act applies to employers with 50 or more permanent employees. Employees are eligible after working for the same employer for more than 52 consecutive weeks and at least 1,000 hours in the preceding 52 weeks. Eligible employees can take:
Employees may substitute paid or unpaid leave the employer provides for portions of this leave. Larger employers must also comply with the federal FMLA where it applies.
DWD's summary of Wisconsin labor laws states that "employers are not required by Wisconsin law to grant sick leave to their workers," apart from the family and medical leave rules above. If you offer paid time off voluntarily, write the policy down and track balances; the PTO accrual calculator can help.
According to DWD's wage payment and collection page, most Wisconsin employers must pay all wages earned at least monthly, with no longer than 31 days between pay periods, which matches the DOL payday table. When an employee leaves for any reason, the final paycheck must be paid according to the employer's regular pay schedule.
Each paycheck, or a document that comes with it, must clearly show the number of hours worked, the rate of pay and the amount of and reason for every deduction. Electronic pay stubs are allowed if employees can print them at no charge.
Deductions for loss, theft, damage or faulty workmanship are allowed only under specific conditions, including a written authorization signed after the incident and before the deduction. DWD warns that blanket authorizations are not valid, and an employer that makes an unauthorized deduction can be liable for twice the amount deducted.
DWD's minor hours notice sets these limits for 14- and 15-year-olds:
| Limit | Rule |
|---|---|
| School days | 3 hours per day |
| School weeks | 18 hours per week |
| Non-school days and weeks | 8 hours per day, 40 hours per week |
| Time of day | 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. after Labor Day through May 31; 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. from June 1 through Labor Day |
State and federal law set no hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds, but they may not work during hours of required school attendance, and they still need the 30-minute meal period on shifts over six hours. Most employers must obtain work permits for minors under 16 before the minor starts work.
Keep accurate records of hours worked, pay rates and deductions; that information has to appear on each pay stub, and it is your best defense in a wage claim. DWD's eWorkBoard hosts the state workplace notices, including the minimum wage poster, the hours of work for minors notice, the Wisconsin Family and Medical Leave Act poster, the Fair Employment Law notice and the business closing and mass layoff notice. Display the ones that apply to your business alongside the federal posters.
Opportunity wage windows, minor meal periods and comp time deadlines are easy to miss on paper. EZTime records hours through a GPS mobile time clock with geofencing, NFC tags, a tablet kiosk or biometric clocks, and sends overtime and break alerts when a minor approaches six hours without a meal. Scheduling with shift templates and swaps keeps teen hours inside the limits, PTO and sick-leave balances update automatically, and payroll-ready Excel and PDF exports work with any payroll software. See the attendance clock and pricing: from $2 per employee per month, with a 14-day trial.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Laws change; check the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development or an employment attorney. Last reviewed November 2026.
Wisconsin’s minimum wage is $7.25 per hour. Employers may pay $5.90 per hour to opportunity employees, who are under 20 and in their first 90 consecutive days with the employer.
The minimum cash wage for tipped employees is $2.33 per hour, or $2.13 for tipped opportunity employees, and tips must bring total pay up to the minimum wage.
Minors under 18 must receive a 30-minute duty-free meal period on shifts longer than six hours. Breaks are recommended but not required for adults, and any break under 30 minutes must be paid.
An employee who leaves for any reason must be paid according to the employer’s regular pay schedule.
Yes, most employers must obtain work permits for minors under 16 before they start work. Fourteen- and fifteen-year-olds are also limited to 3 hours on school days and 18 hours in school weeks.