New York Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official New York State Department of LaborNew York's minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This New York minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $17.00 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $680.00 before tax, or roughly $35,360.00 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 New York 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 York State Department of Labor; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
New York's 2026 minimum wage is $17.00 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $680.00 a week and $35,360.00 a year before tax.
How New York 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 York income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our New York paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
One state, two minimum wages
The single most common mistake with New York's minimum wage is treating it as one number. It is not. As of January 1, 2026, employers in New York City, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester counties must pay at least $17.00 an hour, while the rest of the state sits at $16.00. That $1.00 gap is worth about $2,080 a year to a full-time worker (2,080 hours), so a warehouse role in Buffalo and the same role in Yonkers can pay differently for reasons set purely by the county line, not by the employer.
The other trap is assuming the rate already moves with inflation. It does not, yet. The 2024 to 2026 increases were fixed statutory step-ups ($16.00, then $16.50, then $17.00 downstate). Automatic indexing does not begin until 2027, when the rate will rise by a three-year average of the Northeast Consumer Price Index. Until then, expect only the increases the schedule already sets, not a market-driven January bump.
Tipped pay layers on top of the regional split. Downstate food-service workers get a cash wage of $11.35 plus a $5.65 tip credit; upstate food service is $10.70 plus $5.30; tipped service employees get a higher cash wage. Only hospitality employers may take any tip credit, and fast-food workers are entitled to the full minimum with no credit at all. If cash plus tips falls short of the applicable minimum, the employer must make up the difference.
New York minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in New York in 2026?
New York's minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $17.00 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $680.00 a week and $35,360.00 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in New York per year?
At New York's $17.00 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $35,360.00 a year ($2,946.67 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 York's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. New York adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. From 2027 indexed to a 3-year average of the Northeast CPI. Always check the current figure with the New York State Department of Labor before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in New York?
New York lets employers pay tipped workers a lower cash wage of $11.35 an hour and count up to $5.65 of tips toward the minimum (a "tip credit"). If cash wage plus tips does not reach $17.00 an hour, the employer must make up the difference. See our New York tipped minimum wage calculator for the full breakdown.
Is New York's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. New York's $17.00 is $9.75 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $20,280.00 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- New York 2026 minimum wage rate: New York State Department of Labor, 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. Headline uses the higher downstate rate ($17.00) and downstate food-service tipped figures; the rest of the state is $16.00. Local minimums: NYC, Long Island (Nassau/Suffolk) and Westchester: $17.00; rest of New York State: $16.00.