Washington Tipped Minimum Wage 2026
Figure basis: Official Washington State Department of Labor & IndustriesWashington does not allow a tip credit. Tipped workers must be paid the full $17.13 minimum wage in cash, and they keep all their tips on top. This Washington tipped minimum wage calculator shows what that means in practice. Enter your tips and hours to see your total pay: the full $17.13 minimum in cash plus every dollar of tips on top. 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 Washington, sourced from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Tips you earn above the minimum are always yours to keep.
Washington does not allow a tip credit: tipped workers get the full $17.13/hr minimum wage in cash, plus all tips.
How the Washington tipped wage and tip credit work
cash wage = $17.13/hr (full minimum, no tip credit)
effective pay = $17.13 + your tips per hour
These are gross figures before tax. Tips are taxable income and must be reported. For your after-tax pay, see the Washington paycheck calculator, and for the regular rate the Washington minimum wage calculator.
In Washington, tips never count toward the wage
Washington is one of a handful of states that bans the tip credit outright, which makes the make-whole check simple: you must receive the full $17.13 minimum wage in cash for every hour, and every dollar of tips sits on top. Tips and mandatory service charges cannot be counted toward the wage, cannot be used to fill a gap, and are never the employer's to keep. If your cash rate for any hour is below $17.13, that is a violation on its own, with no tip math required.
The figure to watch is location. $17.13 is only the state floor, and much of the Puget Sound region runs higher: Seattle, SeaTac, Tukwila, Renton, Bellingham, Everett, Burien and unincorporated King County have each set local minimums above the state rate, several dollars higher for large employers. If you clock in inside those city limits, the local ordinance is your real floor, and your cash wage must meet it before a single tip is added. Automatic service charges also carry disclosure rules, so check how any added gratuity on the bill is actually split.
Enter your tips per hour and weekly hours in the calculator above to see your total pay: the full cash minimum plus every dollar of tips, with no credit taken out.
Washington tipped minimum wage: frequently asked questions
What is the tipped minimum wage in Washington in 2026?
Washington does not use a tipped minimum wage. Tipped workers must receive the full Washington minimum wage of $17.13 an hour in cash from their employer, and any tips are theirs to keep on top of that.
Does Washington allow a tip credit?
No. Washington is one of the states that does not allow a tip credit. Every worker, tipped or not, must be paid at least the full $17.13 minimum wage in cash before tips.
What happens if my tips do not reach minimum wage in Washington?
That situation does not arise in Washington, because you are paid the full $17.13 minimum wage in cash regardless of tips. Tips are always extra.
How much does a tipped worker make in Washington?
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. Full minimum cash wage $17.13 plus $12.00 tips is $29.13 an hour, about $873.90 a week or $45,442.80 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: $17.13 in Washington (the full minimum, because there is no tip credit). The "tip credit" is how much of your tips the employer is allowed to count toward the regular minimum wage: $0.00 in Washington. Cash wage plus tip credit equals the $17.13 minimum wage.
Official sources
- Washington 2026 tipped and minimum wage figures: Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, 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. Washington does not allow a tip credit; tips and service charges cannot count toward the minimum wage, so tipped workers receive the full $17.13.