Hawaii Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial RelationsHawaii's minimum wage is $16.00 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This Hawaii minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $16.00 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $640.00 before tax, or roughly $33,280.00 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 Hawaii 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 Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
Hawaii's 2026 minimum wage is $16.00 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $640.00 a week and $33,280.00 a year before tax.
How Hawaii 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 Hawaii income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our Hawaii paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
Hawaii's tip credit hides a $23.00 catch
Hawaii raised its minimum wage to $16.00 an hour on January 1, 2026, the third of four fixed steps written into Act 114 of 2022. The earlier steps were $12.00 in 2022 and $14.00 in 2024, and the last jump to $18.00 is already law for January 1, 2028. These are set dates, not inflation adjustments, so the rate holds at $16.00 for two years. Full time, $16.00 comes to roughly $33,280.00 a year before tax, which still buys less in Honolulu than a far smaller number does on the mainland.
The tip credit is where Hawaii differs from almost every other state. An employer may pay a cash wage of $14.75 and claim a tip credit of at most $1.25, but only when the worker's cash wages plus tips reach at least $7.00 above the minimum. In 2026 that combined threshold is $23.00 an hour. If a tipped worker does not clear $23.00, the credit disappears and the employer must pay the full $16.00 in cash.
The frequent error is treating Hawaii's tip credit like the federal one and stopping at the cash wage. Always test the $23.00 combined figure first, then confirm the current numbers with the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations before running payroll.
Hawaii minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Hawaii in 2026?
Hawaii's minimum wage is $16.00 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $16.00 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $640.00 a week and $33,280.00 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in Hawaii per year?
At Hawaii's $16.00 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $33,280.00 a year ($2,773.33 a month) in gross pay before tax and deductions. Part-time hours scale down from there; use the calculator to enter your own hours.
Is Hawaii's minimum wage going up?
Hawaii's minimum wage is scheduled to rise to $18.00 on January 1, 2028. The figure here is the 2026 rate verified with the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Hawaii?
Hawaii lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $14.75 an hour and count up to $1.25 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $16.00 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our Hawaii tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is Hawaii's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. Hawaii's $16.00 is $8.75 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $18,200.00 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- Hawaii 2026 minimum wage rate: Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, 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. The minimum rose to $16.00 on January 1, 2026 (fixed legislative steps under Act 114 of 2022, not CPI-indexed). The next step is $18.00 on January 1, 2028.