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- The 2026 NYC minimum wage is $17.00
- The rate comes from New York State law
- Tipped hospitality workers use different cash wages
- A tip credit has conditions
- Hours worked and overtime remain separate
- Coverage and exemptions depend on the work
- Federal law is a floor, not proof of the NYC rate
- Enforcement and records
- Common questions about NYC minimum wage
- What is the minimum wage in NYC in 2026?
- Did NYC set the $17 rate?
- Can a NYC restaurant pay $11.35?
- Is every NYC worker covered by the general rate?
- Sources
Key Facts
- New York state level—NYC region: The general minimum wage for work in New York City is $17.00 per hour from January 1 through December 31, 2026.
- New York state level: The NYC rate is established by New York State Labor Law and state wage orders, not by a general NYC minimum-wage ordinance.
- New York state level—hospitality: In 2026, qualifying NYC food-service workers may receive an $11.35 cash wage with a maximum $5.65 tip credit.
- New York state level—hospitality: Qualifying NYC tipped service employees may receive a $14.15 cash wage with a maximum $2.85 tip credit.
- New York state level: Tip credits are limited by industry, duties, tip thresholds, notice, and other wage-order conditions.
- Federal and New York levels: Federal law supplies a separate $7.25 floor, but covered NYC work receives the more protective applicable state rate.
New York City’s general minimum wage is $17.00 per hour in 2026. Although the rate is often called the “NYC minimum wage,” it is a regional rate established by New York State law, not a general minimum-wage ordinance enacted by the City Council.
The 2026 NYC minimum wage is $17.00
New York Labor Law section 652 and the New York State Department of Labor’s current schedule set $17.00 for New York City from January 1 through December 31, 2026. Long Island and Westchester use the same rate; the remainder of New York State uses $16.00.
The work location and date matter. A business headquartered outside NYC can owe the NYC rate for covered work performed within the city.
The rate comes from New York State law
State law divides minimum-wage rates by region and authorizes industry wage orders. NYC agencies provide education and enforce some worker-protection laws, but the ordinary $17 floor is the New York State regional rate.
NYC does have specialized local pay protections. For example, covered app-based restaurant delivery workers have a separate city minimum-pay system. That specialized rule should not be confused with the general state minimum wage.
Tipped hospitality workers use different cash wages
New York’s Hospitality Industry Wage Order allows qualifying tip credits. In NYC during 2026, a food-service worker can have a minimum cash wage of $11.35 and maximum tip credit of $5.65.
A tipped service employee can have a minimum cash wage of $14.15 and maximum credit of $2.85. In each case, cash wages plus valid tip credit must reach the $17 minimum.
These figures are not universal tipped rates. Since December 31, 2020, miscellaneous-industry employers generally cannot take a tip allowance; the hospitality order and other specialized orders control the situations they cover.
A tip credit has conditions
The employer must comply with wage-order notice, recordkeeping, occupation, tip-threshold, and duty restrictions. Hospitality employers cannot take a credit on days when tipped workers spend more than two hours or 20% of a shift on non-tipped work.
If the worker’s tips are insufficient or a condition fails, the employer must pay the shortfall. Tips cannot simply be assumed from the job title.
Hours worked and overtime remain separate
Minimum-wage compliance requires payment for all hours worked. Opening, closing, training, and off-clock tasks can create a shortfall even when the stated rate is $17.
Covered nonexempt employees generally receive overtime after 40 hours in a workweek. The overtime regular rate and industry rules require a separate calculation.
Hospitality employees may also qualify for spread-of-hours pay when the workday spans more than ten hours, subject to the wage order.
Coverage and exemptions depend on the work
New York Labor Law and wage orders exempt or specially regulate identified occupations and employment relationships. Salary, contractor, intern, or manager labels do not independently establish an exemption.
Home-care aides, farm workers, building-service workers, hospitality employees, and public-contract workers can have special rules. The correct wage order should be checked before applying a general rate.
Federal law is a floor, not proof of the NYC rate
The FLSA minimum remains $7.25 for covered nonexempt employees. It cannot prove New York’s $17 regional rate or state tip-credit conditions.
When both federal and New York protections apply, the employer must comply with both, and the more protective applicable wage requirement controls.
For the national framework, see the guide to wages and pay rules.
Enforcement and records
Workers can submit minimum-wage concerns to the New York State Department of Labor. NYC’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection also provides information and handles city-law matters within its authority.
Useful records include schedules, pay stubs, wage notices, tip reports, time entries, and messages assigning work outside recorded hours. Filing deadlines and remedies depend on the claim.
Common questions about NYC minimum wage
What is the minimum wage in NYC in 2026?
The general rate is $17.00 per hour from January 1 through December 31, 2026.
Did NYC set the $17 rate?
No. It is the New York State minimum-wage rate assigned to the NYC region.
Can a NYC restaurant pay $11.35?
Only to a qualifying food-service worker when every hospitality tip-credit condition is met and wages plus tips reach $17.
Is every NYC worker covered by the general rate?
No. Exemptions and specialized industry or local rules can alter the analysis.
