New Jersey Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce DevelopmentNew Jersey's minimum wage is $15.92 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This New Jersey minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $15.92 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $636.80 before tax, or roughly $33,113.60 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
New Jersey's 2026 minimum wage is $15.92 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $636.80 a week and $33,113.60 a year before tax.
How New Jersey 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 New Jersey income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our New Jersey paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
New Jersey's many rates and constitutional indexing
New Jersey's minimum wage reaches $15.92 an hour for most employees in 2026, and it no longer moves only when lawmakers act. A 2013 voter-approved constitutional amendment ties the rate to the Consumer Price Index, and the 2019 phase-in law carried most workers to $15.00 before indexing took over, so the figure now climbs automatically each January.
What makes New Jersey unusual is how many separate rates it runs at once. Seasonal employers and small businesses with fewer than 6 workers pay a lower $15.23 while they catch up; agricultural workers are at $14.20 on a slower track that runs through 2030; and long-term care facility direct-care staff get $18.92, a full $3.00 above the standard minimum. Tipped workers can be paid a $6.05 cash wage with a tip credit of up to $9.87, provided tips bring them to $15.92.
The mistake to avoid is assuming a single number covers every job. Which rate applies depends on the employer's size, the industry and, for care workers, the setting. For a typical full-time employee, though, $15.92 an hour works out to roughly $33,113 a year before tax, which is what the calculator here estimates from your own hours.
New Jersey minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in New Jersey in 2026?
New Jersey's minimum wage is $15.92 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $15.92 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $636.80 a week and $33,113.60 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in New Jersey per year?
At New Jersey's $15.92 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $33,113.60 a year ($2,759.47 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 New Jersey's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. New Jersey adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Seasonal and small employers (fewer than 6) phase up through 2028; agricultural workers through 2030. Always check the current figure with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in New Jersey?
New Jersey lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $6.05 an hour and count up to $9.87 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $15.92 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our New Jersey tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is New Jersey's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. New Jersey's $15.92 is $8.67 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $18,033.60 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- New Jersey 2026 minimum wage rate: New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, 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. $15.92 effective 2026-01-01 for most employees, now CPI-indexed annually under the NJ Constitution. Local minimums: Seasonal and small employers (fewer than 6): $15.23; agricultural: $14.20; long-term care direct-care staff: $18.92.