Minimum wage in Tennessee
$7.25 per hour1
per hourGeneral rate since July 24, 2009 · set by United States
2 rates in force
Rates by worker type, industry and employer size
Tennessee has no rules of its own on record; these are the rules of United States that apply here.
| Applies to | Rate | Cash wage | Max tip credit | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tipped employees · customarily and regularly receives more than $30 a month in tipsSourceAn employer must pay a tipped worker at least $2.13 per hour under the FLSA. An employer can take an FLSA tip credit equal to the difference between the direct wage, or the cash wage it pays directly to the tipped employee, and the federal minimum wage, which is currently $7.25 per hour. The maximum tip credit that an employer can currently claim is $5.12 per hour: ($7.25 - $2.13 direct (or cash) wage = $5.12).
Verified September 26, 2026 | $7.25July 24, 2009 | $2.13 | $5.12 | July 24, 2009 |
Youth · under 20 years old, first 90 consecutive calendar days of employmentSourceThe 1996 Amendments to the FLSA allow employers to pay a youth minimum wage of not less than $4.25 an hour to employees who are under 20 years of age during the first 90 consecutive calendar days after initial employment.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $4.25October 1, 1996 | — | — | October 1, 1996 |
1990 to 2026
History of the United States rate
Each step is a rate row with its own quoted source.
Show the history as a table
| Applies to | Rate | Effective | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
StandardSourceThe 2007 amendments increased the minimum wage to $5.85 per hour effective July 24, 2007; $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $6.55July 24, 2008 – July 24, 2009 | July 24, 2008 | July 24, 2009 |
StandardSourceThe 2007 amendments increased the minimum wage to $5.85 per hour effective July 24, 2007; $6.55 per hour effective July 24, 2008; and $7.25 per hour effective July 24, 2009.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $5.85July 24, 2007 – July 24, 2008 | July 24, 2007 | July 24, 2008 |
StandardSourceThe 1996 amendments increased the minimum wage to $4.75 an hour on October 1, 1996, and to $5.15 an hour on September 1, 1997.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $5.15September 1, 1997 – July 24, 2007 | September 1, 1997 | July 24, 2007 |
StandardSourceThe 1996 amendments increased the minimum wage to $4.75 an hour on October 1, 1996, and to $5.15 an hour on September 1, 1997.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $4.75October 1, 1996 – September 1, 1997 | October 1, 1996 | September 1, 1997 |
StandardSourceThe minimum wage was raised to $3.80 an hour beginning April 1, 1990, and to $4.25 an hour beginning April 1, 1991.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $4.25April 1, 1991 – October 1, 1996 | April 1, 1991 | October 1, 1996 |
StandardSourceThe minimum wage was raised to $3.80 an hour beginning April 1, 1990, and to $4.25 an hour beginning April 1, 1991.
Verified September 26, 2026 | $3.80April 1, 1990 – April 1, 1991 | April 1, 1990 | April 1, 1991 |
BLS · May 2025
How the minimum compares with typical pay in Tennessee
32%of the median hourly wage
The median hourly wage across all occupations in Tennessee is $22.78 and the mean is $29.23 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates). The minimum wage of $7.25 is 32% of the median; the 10th-percentile wage is $13.75, so roughly the lowest-paid tenth of workers earn within $6.50 of the minimum. BLS
| Applies to | Rate |
|---|---|
| Minimum wage | $7.25 |
| 10th percentile | $13.75 |
| 25th percentile | $17.23 |
| Median | $22.78 |
| Mean | $29.23 |
8 rules · September 27, 2026
Labor law basics in Tennessee
What the law adds on top of the hourly rate. Follow the citation for exceptions.
Meal breaks
Employees scheduled for six consecutive hours must get a 30-minute unpaid meal or rest period, except where the nature of the business gives ample opportunity to rest; no other breaks are required.
Source
State law requires that employees must be provided a thirty (30) minute unpaid meal or rest period if scheduled six (6) consecutive hours, except in workplace environments that by their nature of business provides for ample opportunity to rest or take an appropriate break. An example would be a person employed in the food/beverage industry or security guards. The failure to provide a thirty (30) minute meal or rest period is a violation of state law. There are no state requirements for additional breaks.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
Final paycheck
Employees who quit or are fired must be paid all wages earned by the next regular payday or 21 days after separation, whichever is later.
Source
Any employee who leaves or is discharged from employment shall be paid in full all wages or salary earned by the employee no later than the next regular pay day following the date of dismissal or voluntary leaving, or twenty-one (21) days following the date of discharge or voluntary leaving, whichever occurs last.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
Pay frequency
Private employers must pay wages at least once a month; monthly payers must pay by the 5th of the next month, and semimonthly payers must pay first-half wages by the 20th and second-half wages by the 5th of the following month.
Source
All wages or compensation of employees in private employment shall be due and payable not less frequently than once per month: For each employer that makes wage payments once monthly to employees in private employment, all wages or compensation earned and unpaid prior to the first day of any month shall be due and payable not later than the fifth day of the succeeding month. For each employer that makes wage payments in two (2) or more periods per month, all wages and compensation of employees in private employment shall be due and payable as follows: (A) All wages or compensation earned and unpaid prior to the first day of any month shall be due and payable not later than the twentieth day of the month following the one in which the wages were earned; and (B) All wages or compensation earned and unpaid prior to the sixteenth day of any month shall be due and payable not later than the fifth day of the succeeding month.
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
Verified September 27, 2026
Young workers' hours
14- and 15-year-olds may work no more than 3 hours a day and 18 hours a week between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. while school is in session, and no more than 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. when it is not.
Source
14/15-year-olds: While School is in Session | While School is Not in Session | • No more than 3 hours per day • No earlier than 7:00 am and no later than 7:00 pm • No more than 18 hours per week | • No more than 8 hours per day • No earlier than 6:00 am and no later than 9:00 pm • No more than 40 hours per week
- Source
- agency page
- snapshot
- September 27, 2026
- Notes
- Minors must get a 30-minute unpaid break when scheduled for six consecutive hours (Tenn. Code Ann. § 50-5-115).
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 |
5 questions
Frequently asked questions
What is the minimum wage in Tennessee?
$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 Tennessee 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.
What is the tipped minimum wage in Tennessee?
Employers may pay tipped employees a cash wage of $2.13 per hour as long as tips bring them to $7.25 (a maximum tip credit of $5.12).
What is the minimum wage for young or new workers in Tennessee?
Youth (under 20 years old, first 90 consecutive calendar days of employment): $4.25 per hour.
How does Tennessee compare with other states?
Tennessee'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
- Tennessee
Tennessee sets no rule of its own on record. Year pages: 2026, 2027.
Notes on this jurisdiction's rules and sources
No state minimum wage law; the federal FLSA minimum wage ($7.25, tipped cash wage $2.13) applies to covered employers. Evidence: TDLWD support article (us-tn-lwd-minimum-wage-faq: 'There are no state laws regulating minimum wage.') and US DOL state table (us-dol-state-table). No rows published; federal applies.
United States
Enforcement
Enforced by U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division. Employers must display the official minimum wage poster.
Underpaid?File a wage claim