Connecticut Minimum Wage 2026: $16.94/hr Calculator

The Connecticut minimum wage calculator is a free, browser-based tool that converts Connecticut’s 2026 minimum wage of $16.94 an hour into weekly, monthly, and annual gross pay, including tipped cash wages. Enter your hours and all four figures appear instantly, with nothing sent to a server.

How Connecticut Minimum Wage Compares to the Federal Rate

Connecticut's 2026 minimum wage of $16.94 per hour is $9.69 above the $7.25 federal minimum. The federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour has not changed since 2009, meaning workers in states like Connecticut rely on state law for meaningful wage floors.

At $16.94/hr working full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), a Connecticut worker earns $35,235.20 gross annually. That equals $677.60 per week and roughly $2,936.27 per month.

These figures are gross (before taxes). Your take-home pay will be lower after federal income tax, Social Security (6.2%), and Medicare (1.45%) deductions. Use our Connecticut Income Tax Calculator for a net-pay estimate.

Last updated: October 2026. Rates sourced from the Connecticut Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division.

Tipped Workers in Connecticut

The tipped cash wage in Connecticut is $6.38 per hour for hotel and restaurant waitstaff and $8.23 per hour for bartenders in 2026. Employers may pay tipped employees as little as those cash wages, but total compensation including tips must reach $16.94/hr. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference.

Tipped workers covered by Connecticut law include restaurant servers, bartenders, valets, and other service workers who regularly receive tips. Always check your pay stub to ensure your employer is meeting the full minimum wage requirement.

Note: The full minimum wage is indexed to the federal employment cost index and adjusts each January 1. The two tipped cash wages are fixed in statute and do not move with it.

Connecticut Wage Increase Schedule

The 2026 minimum wage for Connecticut is $16.94/hr, up from $16.35 in 2025. Here is what workers and employers should know about upcoming changes: the rate is indexed to the U.S. Department of Labor's employment cost index and adjusts each January 1. The next adjustment, announced by the Governor in August 2026, takes it to $17.48 on January 1, 2027.

Employers must post the current Connecticut minimum wage notice at their place of business. Violations can result in back-pay orders and civil penalties. Workers who believe they are being underpaid can file a complaint with the Connecticut Department of Labor or the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bookmark this page — we update Connecticut wage data each time the state announces a new rate, including CPI-indexed adjustments.

Connecticut Has Two Tipped Cash Wages, Not One

Most states publish a single tipped cash wage. Connecticut publishes two, and which one applies to you depends on the job title on your schedule rather than on how much you earn in tips. Under CGS §31-60, hotel and restaurant waitstaff have a statutory cash wage of $6.38 an hour — the figure this calculator uses when you set Tipped Worker to Yes — and bartenders have a higher one, $8.23 an hour. Both groups must still reach the full $16.94 once tips are counted, and the employer owes the difference for any week where they do not. Two further Connecticut rules catch people out: the tip credit applies only to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips, so a server pulled onto non-tipped side work for a substantial part of a shift must be paid the full minimum for that time, and employers must keep a weekly tip record to claim the credit at all. If your role sits between the two categories, ask which cash wage your employer is claiming before you rely on the tipped figure. Current rates: Connecticut Department of Labor.