Connecticut Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Connecticut Department of LaborConnecticut's minimum wage is $16.94 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This Connecticut minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $16.94 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $677.60 before tax, or roughly $35,235.20 across a full year. Enter your own hours per week and weeks worked to see your gross pay, and edit the rate if you are paid above the minimum. The minimum wage is a floor, not a ceiling: employers can pay more, and some cities in Connecticut set their own higher local minimums. Tipped workers can be paid a lower cash wage as long as tips bring them up to the minimum; see the tipped calculator for that. The figure here is the state rate for 2026, sourced directly from the Connecticut Department of Labor; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
Connecticut's 2026 minimum wage is $16.94 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $677.60 a week and $35,235.20 a year before tax.
How Connecticut minimum wage pay is calculated
weekly pay = hourly rate x hours per week
annual pay = hourly rate x hours per week x weeks per year
overtime = hourly rate x 1.5 (hours over 40 in a week, FLSA)
These are gross figures before federal and Connecticut income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our Connecticut paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
Connecticut ties its raises to a federal index
Connecticut uses one of the more unusual adjustment mechanisms in the country. Rather than following its own state price index, the minimum wage is pegged to the federal employment cost index, a measure of national wage and benefit growth published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Under that formula the rate rose to $16.94 an hour on January 1, 2026, up from $16.35. A full-time year at $16.94 is about $35,235.20 before tax, one of the higher baselines on the East Coast.
Tipped pay is where Connecticut breaks from the usual model. Instead of a single tipped cash wage, the state fixes two statutory rates by job type: $6.38 an hour for hotel and restaurant service employees, and $8.23 an hour for bartenders. These are not percentages of the minimum; they are dollar figures set in law, and they have stayed flat even as the general minimum has climbed. The practical effect is a large tip credit (over $10.00 an hour for waitstaff), so tips have to do a lot of work to reach the $16.94 floor. If they do not, the employer must pay the shortfall.
Because the general rate moves with a national index rather than a fixed schedule, the exact figure can be hard to predict a year out, which is why it should be re-checked each January. Confirm the current rate and the two tipped figures with the Connecticut Department of Labor before you rely on them for payroll or budgeting.
Connecticut minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Connecticut in 2026?
Connecticut's minimum wage is $16.94 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $16.94 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $677.60 a week and $35,235.20 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in Connecticut per year?
At Connecticut's $16.94 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $35,235.20 a year ($2,936.27 a month) in gross pay before tax and deductions. Part-time hours scale down from there; use the calculator to enter your own hours.
Does Connecticut's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. Connecticut adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Always check the current figure with the Connecticut Department of Labor before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Connecticut?
Connecticut lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $6.38 an hour and count up to $10.56 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $16.94 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our Connecticut tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is Connecticut's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. Connecticut's $16.94 is $9.69 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $20,155.20 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- Connecticut 2026 minimum wage rate: Connecticut Department of Labor, as at July 11, 2026.
- Federal minimum wage ($7.25) and overtime rules: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division.
Reviewed by the CalculatorHub team, edited by James Graham, 11 July 2026. See our methodology. General information, not legal or financial advice. Rose from $16.35 to $16.94 on 2026-01-01; indexed annually to the federal employment cost index. Two statutory tipped rates: hotel/restaurant $6.38, bartenders $8.23.