Idaho Tipped Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Idaho Department of LaborIdaho lets employers pay tipped workers a cash wage of $3.35 an hour and take a tip credit of up to $3.90, as long as tips bring total pay to at least the $7.25 minimum wage. This Idaho tipped minimum wage calculator shows what that means in practice. Enter your average tips per hour and your weekly hours, and it works out whether your tips clear the tip credit, whether your employer owes you a top-up to reach the $7.25 minimum, and your effective hourly, weekly and yearly pay. A tip credit lets an employer pay a lower direct cash wage and count part of your tips toward the regular minimum wage, but it can never leave you below the minimum: if tips fall short in a given week, the law requires the employer to make up the difference. The cash wage, tip credit and minimum wage used here are the 2026 figures for Idaho, sourced from the Idaho Department of Labor. Tips you earn above the minimum are always yours to keep.
Idaho tipped workers get a cash wage of $3.35/hr, with up to a $3.90 tip credit toward the $7.25 minimum wage.
How the Idaho tipped wage and tip credit work
cash wage = $3.35/hr (paid by employer)
total before top-up = cash wage + your tips per hour
if total < $7.25: employer tops up to $7.25
effective pay = greater of (cash + tips) and $7.25
These are gross figures before tax. Tips are taxable income and must be reported. For your after-tax pay, see the Idaho paycheck calculator, and for the regular rate the Idaho minimum wage calculator.
Idaho's own tipped wage and the make-whole test
Idaho sets its own tipped cash wage rather than defaulting to the federal figure, and it lands a little higher: $3.35 an hour instead of the federal $2.13. Against the $7.25 minimum wage, that leaves a maximum tip credit of $3.90 an hour. So an employer may pay $3.35 in direct cash and count up to $3.90 of your tips toward the minimum, provided your tips actually get you there. The extra $1.22 in guaranteed cash over the federal floor is a small but real cushion for Idaho tipped workers.
To confirm you are made whole, add your $3.35 cash wage to your total tips for the week, divide by the hours you worked, and check the figure against $7.25. If a quiet week leaves you below the minimum once tips are counted, the employer must cover the shortfall in cash; you should never net less than $7.25 an hour, about $15,080.00 a year at full time. The workweek, not the single shift, is the unit the law uses for this test.
Two Idaho wrinkles are worth knowing. Workers under 20 can be paid a training wage of $4.25 an hour for their first 90 days, and state law bars cities from setting higher local minimums, so the $7.25 applies statewide. Confirm the current cash wage and tip credit with the Idaho Department of Labor before relying on them for payroll.
Idaho tipped minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the tipped minimum wage in Idaho in 2026?
In Idaho, the minimum cash wage for tipped employees is $3.35 an hour in 2026. Employers may count up to $3.90 an hour of tips (the "tip credit") toward the $7.25 minimum wage. If an employee's cash wage plus tips does not average at least $7.25 an hour, the employer must pay the difference.
Does Idaho allow a tip credit?
Yes. Idaho allows employers to take a tip credit of up to $3.90 an hour, meaning the direct cash wage can be as low as $3.35 an hour provided tips make up the rest to $7.25. The federal tip-credit floor is a $2.13 cash wage.
What happens if my tips do not reach minimum wage in Idaho?
Your employer must make up the shortfall. In any week where your cash wage of $3.35 plus your tips does not average at least $7.25 an hour, Idaho and federal law require the employer to top your pay up to $7.25. You should never earn less than the full minimum wage once tips are counted.
How much does a tipped worker make in Idaho?
It depends on tips, but here is a worked example: a server working 30 hours a week and averaging $12.00 an hour in tips. Cash wage $3.35 plus $12.00 tips is $15.35 an hour, which is above the $7.25 minimum, so the effective rate is $15.35 an hour, about $460.50 a week or $23,946.00 a year before tax. Use the calculator with your own tips and hours.
Is the tip credit the same as the tipped wage?
No, they are two sides of the same figure. The "tipped minimum wage" (or tipped cash wage) is what the employer pays directly: $3.35 in Idaho. The "tip credit" is how much of your tips the employer is allowed to count toward the regular minimum wage: $3.90 in Idaho. Cash wage plus tip credit equals the $7.25 minimum wage.
Official sources
- Idaho 2026 tipped and minimum wage figures: Idaho Department of Labor, as at July 11, 2026.
- Federal tip credit and the $2.13 cash-wage floor: 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. Idaho sets a state tipped cash wage of $3.35/hr (higher than the federal $2.13); maximum tip credit $3.90. The employer covers any shortfall to $7.25.