Louisiana Tipped Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour DivisionLouisiana lets employers pay tipped workers a cash wage of $2.13 an hour and take a tip credit of up to $5.12, as long as tips bring total pay to at least the $7.25 minimum wage. This Louisiana 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 Louisiana, sourced from the US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Tips you earn above the minimum are always yours to keep.
Louisiana tipped workers get a cash wage of $2.13/hr, with up to a $5.12 tip credit toward the $7.25 minimum wage.
How the Louisiana tipped wage and tip credit work
cash wage = $2.13/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 Louisiana paycheck calculator, and for the regular rate the Louisiana minimum wage calculator.
Who enforces tipped pay when the state has no wage law
Louisiana has no minimum wage statute of its own, so tipped pay runs entirely on the federal Fair Labor Standards Act. An employer may pay a direct cash wage of $2.13 an hour and claim a tip credit of up to $5.12, the two reaching the federal $7.25 minimum. Because state law also preempts local wage ordinances, there is no parish or city rate layered on top: the same federal rules apply from Shreveport to New Orleans.
The $2.13 cash wage is only lawful if the employer has notified you it is taking a tip credit and you keep your tips, save for a valid pool among customarily tipped staff. Where Louisiana differs in practice is enforcement: with no state labor department wage division, complaints go to the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division rather than a Baton Rouge office.
To check you were made whole, add your cash wages and tips across the workweek, divide by hours worked, and confirm the figure is at least $7.25 an hour. If it falls short, the employer owes the difference for that week, and that obligation is federal law regardless of the missing state statute. A single slow shift does not by itself require a top-up; the weekly average is the test. Keep your own tally of hours and tips and compare it against your pay stub, and verify the current federal figures with the US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division.
Louisiana tipped minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the tipped minimum wage in Louisiana in 2026?
In Louisiana, the minimum cash wage for tipped employees is $2.13 an hour in 2026. Employers may count up to $5.12 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 Louisiana allow a tip credit?
Yes. Louisiana allows employers to take a tip credit of up to $5.12 an hour, meaning the direct cash wage can be as low as $2.13 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 Louisiana?
Your employer must make up the shortfall. In any week where your cash wage of $2.13 plus your tips does not average at least $7.25 an hour, Louisiana 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 Louisiana?
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 $2.13 plus $12.00 tips is $14.13 an hour, which is above the $7.25 minimum, so the effective rate is $14.13 an hour, about $423.90 a week or $22,042.80 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: $2.13 in Louisiana. The "tip credit" is how much of your tips the employer is allowed to count toward the regular minimum wage: $5.12 in Louisiana. Cash wage plus tip credit equals the $7.25 minimum wage.
Official sources
- Louisiana 2026 tipped and minimum wage figures: US Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, 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. Follows the federal FLSA: $2.13 cash wage plus a $5.12 tip credit; tips must bring the total to $7.25.