Nebraska Minimum Wage 2026: $15.00/hr Calculator

The Nebraska Minimum Wage Calculator is a free, browser-based tool that turns Nebraska's 2026 minimum wage into weekly, monthly, and annual gross pay for hourly and tipped workers. Enter your rate, hours, and weeks worked to see full-time earnings — a 40-hour week at $15.00/hr equals $31,200.00 a year before taxes.

How Nebraska Minimum Wage Compares to the Federal Rate

Nebraska's 2026 minimum wage of $15.00 per hour is $7.75 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 Nebraska rely on state law for meaningful wage floors.

At $15.00/hr working full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), a Nebraska worker earns $31,200.00 gross annually. That equals $600.00 per week and roughly $2,600.00 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 Nebraska Income Tax Calculator for a net-pay estimate.

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

Tipped Workers in Nebraska

The tipped minimum wage in Nebraska is $2.13 per hour in 2026. Employers may pay tipped employees as little as $2.13/hr, but total compensation including tips must reach $15.00/hr. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference.

Tipped workers covered by Nebraska 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.

Nebraska keeps the federal $2.13 cash wage for tipped staff, so the tip credit widened to $12.87 when the full minimum reached $15.00 — the employer must still top up any shortfall.

Nebraska Youth and Training Wages Under LB 258

Nebraska is unusual in 2026: not every worker is entitled to the $15.00 rate. Legislative Bill 258, signed on 9 February 2026 and effective 17 July 2026, created two lower tiers. Non-emancipated 14- and 15-year-olds may be paid $13.50 per hour, and a training wage of $13.50 per hour applies to workers aged 16 to 19. Both sit $1.50 below the standard adult minimum.

LB 258 also changed how the rate moves in future. The Consumer Price Index indexing that voters approved in the 2022 ballot initiative is replaced from 1 January 2027 by a fixed 1.75% annual increase, which makes future rises predictable but no longer tied to actual inflation. The youth wage rises 1.5% every five years from 2030; the training wage rises 1.5% a year from 2027. Federal minimums that apply alongside state law are published by the U.S. Department of Labor.

Nebraska Wage Increase Schedule

Nebraska's minimum wage reached $15.00 per hour on 1 January 2026, the final step of the increases approved by voters in the 2022 Initiative 433 ballot measure — up from $13.50 in 2025, $12.00 in 2024, and $10.50 in 2023. Under LB 258 the next change is a fixed 1.75% rise on 1 January 2027, which would take the rate to roughly $15.26.

Employers must post the current Nebraska 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 Nebraska Department of Labor or the U.S. Department of Labor.

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