New Jersey Minimum Wage 2026: $15.92/hr Calculator

How New Jersey Minimum Wage Compares to the Federal Rate

New Jersey's 2026 minimum wage of $15.92 per hour is $8.67 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 New Jersey rely on state law for meaningful wage floors.

At $15.92/hr working full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), a New Jersey worker earns $33,113.60 gross annually. That equals $636.80 per week and roughly $2,759.47 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 New Jersey Income Tax Calculator for a net-pay estimate.

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

Tipped Workers in New Jersey

The tipped minimum wage in New Jersey is $6.05 per hour in 2026. Employers may pay tipped employees as little as $6.05/hr, but total compensation including tips must reach $15.92/hr. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference.

Tipped workers covered by New Jersey 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 tipped cash wage rises to $6.61 on 1 January 2027, with the maximum tip credit staying at $9.87.

New Jersey's Other Minimum Wage Rates for 2026

$15.92 is the rate for most employees, but New Jersey sets several separate floors and a large number of workers are legally paid one of those instead. On 1 January 2026 the rates became: $15.92 standard; $15.23 for seasonal employees and small employers with fewer than six workers, up from $14.53; $14.20 for farm workers paid hourly or by piece rate, up from $13.40; and $18.92 for direct care staff in long-term care facilities. Tipped workers have a cash wage of $6.05 with a maximum tip credit of $9.87, which is unchanged from last year — so the cash side rose while the credit did not.

If you are on one of the lower floors, enter that number in the rate field above rather than $15.92, or the annual total will overstate your pay by more than $1,400. Source: NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

New Jersey Wage Increase Schedule

New Jersey reached the $15 target set by its 2019 wage law and now adjusts the rate every 1 January by the change in the Consumer Price Index published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The January 2026 rise was $0.43, from $15.49 to $15.92. Because the increase is formula-driven rather than legislated each year, the practical guidance is the same for workers and employers: expect a change every January, and expect it to track inflation rather than a fixed schedule. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development announced the 2027 rates on 29 September 2026: $16.48 for most employees from 1 January 2027, $16.25 for seasonal and small employers, $15.00 for farm workers, and $19.48 for long-term care direct care staff.

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

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

What to Do If You Are Paid Below the New Jersey Minimum Wage

Underpayment is recoverable, and you do not need a lawyer to start. Compare the figure this calculator returns against your pay stub for the same period: the stub must show hours worked and the rate applied, so the shortfall per hour times hours worked is the claim. Keep the stubs, any schedule or clock-in records, and a note of the dates — those records are what the claim rests on.

A wage claim is then filed with the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development's wage collection section, which can order back pay without a court case. Tipped roles need one extra step: add the tips actually received to the cash wage, and if the total falls below the full state minimum the employer owes the difference for those hours. The US Department of Labor state minimum wage listing shows which floor applies where state and federal law differ; the higher of the two always wins. Retaliating against a worker for filing is itself unlawful. Updated 2026-09-16.