Minimum wage in Georgia in 2026
$7.25 per hour1
per hourGeneral rate since July 24, 2009 · set by United States
No scheduled increase on record.
1 rate in force
Rates by worker type, industry and employer size
The highest rate that fits the job applies.
| Applies to | Rate | Effective |
|---|---|---|
Employers not covered by the federal FLSASource: O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3Georgia's minimum wage is $5.15 per hour, however, with some limited exceptions, the federal minimum wage rate applies.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $5.15July 1, 2001 | July 1, 2001 |
BLS · May 2025
How the minimum compares with typical pay in Georgia
31%of the median hourly wage
The median hourly wage across all occupations in Georgia is $23.16 and the mean is $31.69 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates). The minimum wage of $7.25 is 31% of the median; the 10th-percentile wage is $13.43, so roughly the lowest-paid tenth of workers earn within $6.18 of the minimum. BLS
| Applies to | Rate |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $7.25 |
| 10th percentile | $13.43 |
| 25th percentile | $17.16 |
| Median | $23.16 |
| Mean | $31.69 |
5 rules · September 27, 2026
Labor law basics in Georgia
What the law adds on top of the hourly rate. Follow the citation for exceptions.
Young workers' hours
Georgia bars minors under 16 from working while school is in session unless they have finished high school or been excused, and sets no hour limits for 16- and 17-year-olds; other hour limits come from federal law.
Source
Minors 16 and 17 years of age have no state or federal law work hour restrictions. No minor under 16 years of age shall be permitted to work during the hours when public or private schools are in session unless said minor has completed senior high school or has been excused from attendance in school by a county or independent school system board of education in accordance with the general policies and regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
Overtime
Covered non-exempt employees must be paid at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek; federal law sets no daily overtime and no weekend or holiday premium. (non-exempt employees covered by the FLSA)
Source: 29 U.S.C. § 207
Unless specifically exempted, employees covered by the Act must receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek at a rate not less than time and one-half their regular rates of pay. There is no limit in the Act on the number of hours employees aged 16 and older may work in any workweek. The Act does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, as such.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 26, 2026
Overtime-exempt salary threshold
Executive, administrative and professional employees are exempt from minimum wage and overtime only if they meet the duties tests and are paid a salary of at least $684 per week ($35,568 a year). (executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees)
Source: 29 C.F.R. Part 541
To qualify for exemption, employees generally must meet certain tests regarding their job duties and be paid on a salary basis at not less than $684 per week.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
- Notes
- The 2024 rule raising the level to $844/$1,128 was vacated in November 2024; DOL enforces the 2019 level of $684.
Verified September 26, 2026
Required poster
Employers whose employees are covered by the FLSA minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted, a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their establishments. (employers covered by the FLSA)
Source: 29 U.S.C. § 207
Every employer of employees subject to the Fair Labor Standards Act's minimum wage provisions must post, and keep posted, a notice explaining the Act in a conspicuous place in all of their establishments.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
- Notes
- The notice DOL publishes for this purpose is the FLSA minimum wage poster (WH-1088), free from the WHD posters page.
Verified September 26, 2026
Tips
An employer may count tips toward the minimum wage only after telling the tipped employee the cash wage, the tip credit claimed, that the credit cannot exceed tips received, that tips belong to the employee except in a valid tip pool, and that the credit requires this notice; employers, managers and supervisors may never keep employees' tips. (tipped employees under the FLSA)
Source
Employers must provide the following information to tipped employees before taking a tip credit under the FLSA: the amount of the direct (or cash) wage the employer is paying a tipped employee, which must be at least $2.13 per hour; the additional amount claimed by the employer as a tip credit, which cannot exceed $5.12 (the difference between the minimum required direct (or cash) wage of $2.13 and the current minimum wage of $7.25); that the tip credit claimed by the employer cannot exceed the amount of tips actually received by the tipped employee; that all tips received by the tipped employee are to be retained by the employee except for a valid tip pooling arrangement limited to employees who customarily and regularly receive tips; and that the tip credit will not apply to any tipped employee unless the employee has been informed of these tip credit provisions.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 26, 2026
Verified September 26, 2026
$7.25 / hour
Calculators
Estimates before tax at this rate. Nothing you type leaves this page.
What this wage pays
| Weekly | $290.00 |
|---|---|
| Monthly52 weeks ÷ 12 | $1,256.67 |
| Annual52 weeks | $15,080.00 |
| Overtime rate1.5× where overtime applies | $10.88 |
4 questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Georgia in 2026?
$7.25 per hour since July 24, 2009, set by United States. For a 40-hour week that is about $290.00 a week or $15,080.00 a year before tax.
Is the minimum wage in Georgia increasing?
No increase is scheduled on record as of October 1, 2026. Inflation-indexed jurisdictions announce the next figure a few months before it takes effect.
Is there a lower tipped minimum wage in Georgia?
No separate tipped rate is on record for Georgia; tipped employees are owed the full $7.25 per hour, unless a higher-level rule sets one.
How does Georgia compare with other states?
Georgia's $7.25 ranks 32 of 51 state general rates, against a federal floor of $7.25.
2 levels of law
How this rate is resolved
The highest minimum that covers the work location applies.
Employers must pay the highest minimum that covers the work location. WageTable checks each level in turn:
- United States
- Georgia
Georgia sets 1 rule of its own.
Notes on this jurisdiction's rules and sources
Georgia's statutory minimum wage (O.C.G.A. § 34-4-3) is $5.15 and applies only to employment not covered by the federal FLSA; FLSA-covered employers pay the federal $7.25. Per the US DOL state table (secondary) the state law applies to employers of 6 or more employees; no employer size band is recorded. Georgia DOL does not enforce wage claims for minimum wage; complaints go to the US DOL Wage and Hour Division.
Georgia
Enforcement
Enforced by Georgia Department of Labor.
Underpaid?File a wage claim