Tennessee Minimum Wage 2026: $7.25/hr Calculator

How Tennessee Minimum Wage Compares to the Federal Rate

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

At $7.25/hr working full-time (40 hours/week, 52 weeks/year), a Tennessee worker earns $15,080.00 gross annually. That equals $290.00 per week and roughly $1,256.67 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 Tennessee Income Tax Calculator for a net-pay estimate.

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

Tipped Workers in Tennessee

The tipped minimum wage in Tennessee 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 $7.25/hr. If tips fall short, the employer must make up the difference.

Tipped workers covered by Tennessee 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.

Tennessee has no state minimum wage statute, so the federal rate applies directly to covered employers.

Tennessee Wage Increase Schedule

The 2026 minimum wage for Tennessee is $7.25/hr. Tennessee is one of five states with no minimum wage law of its own. There is no state schedule to track — the rate changes only if Congress raises the federal minimum, which has stayed at $7.25 since July 2009.

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

Why Tennessee Has No State Minimum Wage of Its Own

Tennessee is one of only five states with no minimum wage statute at all. Workers are covered instead by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, which has held the floor at $7.25 since 24 July 2009 — over 16 years without an increase. In practice this means two things. First, no automatic inflation adjustment occurs, so the real value of the Tennessee floor falls every year. Second, the rate can only change if Congress acts. Tennessee also has no state tipped-wage law, so the federal $2.13 cash wage applies, with tips required to bring total pay to $7.25 an hour.

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