Washington Minimum Wage 2026: $17.13 an Hour, Rising to $17.73 in 2027

Washington’s minimum wage for 2026 is $17.13 an hour for workers 16 and older, tipped or not. On January 1, 2027, it goes up to $17.73 [1][2]. Some cities pay more.

How the rate is set

Washington’s minimum wage changes every year on its own. The Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) adjusts it for inflation using a federal consumer price index, announces the new rate by September 30, and it takes effect January 1 [1]. For 2026 the increase was 2.8 percent [3]. For 2027 it’s 3.5 percent, to $17.73 [2].

Workers aged 14 and 15

Employers can pay 14- and 15-year-olds 85 percent of the adult minimum [1]. That’s $14.56 an hour in 2026 and $15.07 in 2027 [2][3]. From age 16, the full rate applies.

Tips don’t count toward the minimum

Many states let restaurants pay servers a lower cash wage and count tips toward the rest. Washington doesn’t. State law says tips and service charges are paid in addition to the hourly minimum and may not count toward it [5]. L&I puts it plainly: tip crediting isn’t allowed [6].

Some other tip rules from L&I [6]:

• Salaried-exempt managers and business owners can’t share in a tip pool. Hourly staff who don’t serve customers, such as cooks, can.
• You can’t be required to put more into a mandatory tip pool than you received in tips.
• If a business adds a service charge, receipts and menus must say how much of it goes to the workers who served you.

City minimums above the state rate

Several cities, plus unincorporated King County, set their own higher minimums [3][4]. Some tie the rate to employer size, so check the rules for where you physically work.

Local rules can differ from state rules in the details too. SeaTac, for example, bars counting tips toward its minimum, while Seattle’s ordinance treats service charges differently [6]. If you work in one of these places, the higher rate wins.

Overtime

For hours over 40 in a workweek, most hourly workers must get at least 1.5 times their regular rate [7]. Some jobs are exempt, so the rule has exceptions.

How to file a wage complaint with L&I

If you’re paid less than the minimum, not paid for all hours, or have pay taken without your agreement, you can file a Worker Rights Complaint with L&I [8]. You can:

1. File online through L&I’s worker rights complaint page.
2. Mail a completed Worker Rights Complaint form (F700-148-000).
3. Go to your nearest L&I office [8].

Filing is free, help is available in your preferred language, and L&I won’t ask about your immigration status [8]. You can file even if you no longer work there. File within three years of the violation; for retaliation complaints, the window is 180 days [8]. Questions go to L&I customer service at 1-360-902-5316 [8].

For pay rates in other states, see BestAmerica’s minimum wage by state guide.