Missouri Tipped Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial RelationsMissouri lets employers pay tipped workers a cash wage of $7.50 an hour and take a tip credit of up to $7.50, as long as tips bring total pay to at least the $15.00 minimum wage. This Missouri 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 $15.00 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 Missouri, sourced from the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations. Tips you earn above the minimum are always yours to keep.
Missouri tipped workers get a cash wage of $7.50/hr, with up to a $7.50 tip credit toward the $15.00 minimum wage.
How the Missouri tipped wage and tip credit work
cash wage = $7.50/hr (paid by employer)
total before top-up = cash wage + your tips per hour
if total < $15.00: employer tops up to $15.00
effective pay = greater of (cash + tips) and $15.00
These are gross figures before tax. Tips are taxable income and must be reported. For your after-tax pay, see the Missouri paycheck calculator, and for the regular rate the Missouri minimum wage calculator.
Missouri's half-the-minimum tipped wage and the top-up test
Missouri sets its tipped cash wage at exactly half the minimum wage. With the minimum at $15.00 for 2026, the direct cash wage an employer must pay a tipped worker is $7.50 an hour, and the tip credit is the other $7.50. Because the cash portion is pegged to 50 percent, it rose automatically this year when the minimum climbed from $13.75 to $15.00 under Proposition A.
The make-whole rule is the whole point of the tip credit: $7.50 in cash plus your tips must average at least $15.00 for every hour worked. To check, add your $7.50 base to your tips per hour; if the total is under $15.00, your employer owes the shortfall. You should never take home less than the full $15.00 once tips are counted.
Missouri also preempts local wage ordinances, so cities such as Kansas City or St. Louis cannot set a higher figure, and $15.00 applies statewide. Note that House Bill 567 removed the automatic inflation adjustments Proposition A had scheduled from 2027, so unless the law changes again, both the $15.00 minimum and the $7.50 tipped cash wage are likely to hold steady rather than rise each January.
Missouri tipped minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the tipped minimum wage in Missouri in 2026?
In Missouri, the minimum cash wage for tipped employees is $7.50 an hour in 2026. Employers may count up to $7.50 an hour of tips (the "tip credit") toward the $15.00 minimum wage. If an employee's cash wage plus tips does not average at least $15.00 an hour, the employer must pay the difference.
Does Missouri allow a tip credit?
Yes. Missouri allows employers to take a tip credit of up to $7.50 an hour, meaning the direct cash wage can be as low as $7.50 an hour provided tips make up the rest to $15.00. The federal tip-credit floor is a $2.13 cash wage.
What happens if my tips do not reach minimum wage in Missouri?
Your employer must make up the shortfall. In any week where your cash wage of $7.50 plus your tips does not average at least $15.00 an hour, Missouri and federal law require the employer to top your pay up to $15.00. You should never earn less than the full minimum wage once tips are counted.
How much does a tipped worker make in Missouri?
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 $7.50 plus $12.00 tips is $19.50 an hour, which is above the $15.00 minimum, so the effective rate is $19.50 an hour, about $585.00 a week or $30,420.00 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: $7.50 in Missouri. The "tip credit" is how much of your tips the employer is allowed to count toward the regular minimum wage: $7.50 in Missouri. Cash wage plus tip credit equals the $15.00 minimum wage.
Official sources
- Missouri 2026 tipped and minimum wage figures: Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, 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. Employers must pay tipped employees at least 50% of the minimum wage ($7.50), plus any amount needed to reach $15.00.