Washington Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Washington State Department of Labor & IndustriesWashington's minimum wage is $17.13 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. This Washington minimum wage calculator turns that hourly rate into the numbers that actually matter to you: weekly, monthly and yearly pay. At $17.13 an hour, someone working a full 40-hour week earns about $685.20 before tax, or roughly $35,630.40 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 Washington set their own higher local minimums. Washington is one of the states that does not allow a tip credit, so tipped workers receive the full minimum wage in cash plus their tips. The figure here is the state rate for 2026, sourced directly from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries; the pay calculation is simply hours times the rate.
Washington's 2026 minimum wage is $17.13 per hour. Full time (40 hrs/week) that is about $685.20 a week and $35,630.40 a year before tax.
How Washington 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 Washington income tax, Social Security and Medicare. Your take-home pay is lower; see our Washington paycheck calculator for the after-tax amount.
Why $17.13 is only the starting point in Washington
Washington carries the highest statewide minimum wage in the country at $17.13 an hour for 2026, and how it gets there matters as much as the number. The rate is not voted on each year; the Department of Labor and Industries recalculates it every September using the federal CPI-W inflation index, and the new figure takes effect the following January 1. The 2026 rate is a 2.8% rise from the 2025 rate of $16.66. That automatic mechanism makes the number on this page a moving target: it will almost certainly climb again in 2027, with no legislation required.
The most common mistake Washington workers make is treating $17.13 as their real floor. Across much of the Puget Sound region it is not. Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien, and unincorporated King County have each adopted local minimums above the state rate, many of them several dollars higher for large employers. If you clock in inside one of those city limits, the local ordinance controls and the state figure is only a baseline.
Washington also bans the tip credit outright. Tips and service charges cannot be counted toward the wage, so a tipped worker here earns the full $17.13 in cash plus whatever they keep in tips, unlike servers in most other states. And because the state pegs the salary threshold for overtime-exempt white-collar staff to a multiple of this same minimum wage, the $17.13 figure quietly decides who else must be paid time and a half.
Washington minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Washington in 2026?
Washington's minimum wage is $17.13 per hour in 2026, set by the state and above the federal minimum of $7.25. At $17.13 an hour, a full-time worker (40 hours a week) earns about $685.20 a week and $35,630.40 a year before tax. This rate took effect on January 1, 2026.
How much is full-time minimum wage in Washington per year?
At Washington's $17.13 minimum wage, 40 hours a week for 52 weeks is 2,080 hours, which comes to about $35,630.40 a year ($2,969.20 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 Washington's minimum wage change every year?
Yes. Washington adjusts its minimum wage each year for inflation (cost of living), so it typically rises a little every January. Always check the current figure with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries before relying on it.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Washington?
Washington does not allow a tip credit, so tipped workers must be paid the full $17.13 minimum wage in cash, on top of any tips they keep.
Is Washington's minimum wage higher than the federal minimum wage?
Yes. Washington's $17.13 is $9.88 an hour above the federal minimum of $7.25, which works out to about $20,550.40 more a year for a full-time worker.
Official sources
- Washington 2026 minimum wage rate: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, 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. No-tip-credit state. A 2.8% CPI-W increase from $16.66 (2025) to $17.13 (2026). Local minimums: Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien and unincorporated King County.