District of Columbia Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official District of Columbia Department of Employment ServicesDistrict of Columbia's minimum wage is $18.40 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This District of Columbia minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $18.40 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $736.00 before tax, or roughly $38,272.00 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia Department of Employment Services; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
District of Columbia's 2026 minimum wage is $18.40 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $736.00 a week and $38,272.00 a year before tax.
How District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our District of Columbia paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
DC's July raise and the Initiative 82 slowdown
The District of Columbia carries the highest wage floor in this group and one of the highest anywhere in the country. The rate rose to $18.40 an hour on July 1, 2026, up from $17.95, and, like Alaska, DC adjusts in the middle of the year rather than in January, indexing to inflation every July 1. Full-time at $18.40 is about $736.00 a week and roughly $38,272.00 a year before tax.
The moving piece worth watching is tipped pay. Initiative 82, which voters passed in 2022, set out to phase out the tipped sub-minimum entirely and lift tipped workers to the full standard wage. In 2025 the DC Council amended the plan to slow that climb, and the tipped base cash wage now sits at $10.30 an hour rather than continuing on the original faster track. The revised schedule still moves toward roughly 75 percent of the minimum wage by 2034, but more gradually. Until then, if a tipped worker's base plus tips does not reach $18.40 an hour, the employer must cover the difference.
That combination of a mid-year adjustment and an actively changing tipped rule makes DC one of the places where a figure can quietly go stale. A number that was right in June may be wrong by July. Confirm both the standard rate and the current tipped base with the DC Department of Employment Services before relying on them.
District of Columbia minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in District of Columbia in 2026?
District of Columbia's minimum wage is $18.40 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $18.40 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $736.00 a week and $38,272.00 a year before tax. This rate took effect on July 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in District of Columbia per year?
At District of Columbia's $18.40 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $38,272.00 a year ($3,189.33 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 District of Columbia's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. District of Columbia adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Tipped base wage rises in later years toward 75% of the minimum wage by 2034 (Initiative 82 as amended). Always check the current figure with the District of Columbia Department of Employment Services before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in District of Columbia?
District of Columbia lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $10.30 an hour and count up to $8.10 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $18.40 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our District of Columbia tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is District of Columbia's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. District of Columbia's $18.40 is $11.15 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $23,192.00 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- District of Columbia 2026 minimum wage rate: District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, 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 $17.95 to $18.40 on 2026-07-01 for all workers; indexed to CPI each July 1. Initiative 82 amended in 2025 to slow the tipped-wage phase-in; tipped base now $10.30.