Georgia Minimum Wage Calculator
For an ordinary federally covered job in Georgia, the minimum is $7.25 per hour. Georgia also has a $5.15 state rate, which its labor department describes as applying only in limited exceptions. This calculator uses the federal-covered scenario and requires confirmation before showing a result.
Time card Calculate pay for a covered hourly job
Weekly gross including tips—
Confirm coverage to calculate.
- Hourly floor—
- Per workday—
- Weekly gross—
- Monthly average—
- Yearly gross—
- Employer cash before shortfall
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- Weekly tips retained
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- Employer shortfall payment
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- Total employer cash
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Overtime uses the full regular rate before subtracting a permitted tip credit. The employer must cover a weekly tip shortfall within the selected scope. This floor scenario does not calculate pay at a higher agreed rate. Per-workday pay divides the week by the days with hours. Annual figures repeat the rounded weekly result.
Reviewed rate period: 2026-01-01 through 2027-12-31. Gross earnings before taxes or deductions. Annual figures repeat this weekly scenario; they do not combine different rate periods.
Reviewed October 2, 2026. Georgia Department of Labor: state and federal minimum wages.
Why Georgia has two numbers in wage tables
The $5.15 figure is not a general option for an employer whose employees have federal minimum-wage protection. Federal coverage can arise through a covered enterprise or through an individual’s work in interstate commerce. A business being small is not enough information to choose the lower number. The state’s six-employee coverage threshold is a separate question from the federal tests. DOL’s Georgia coverage summary; Federal enterprise and individual coverage.
At 40 hours, $5.15 would produce $206, while the federal floor produces $290: an $84 weekly difference. That comparison shows why coverage matters; it does not authorize the lower rate. If the job falls outside federal coverage, confirm state coverage and any exemption separately before calculating an obligation.
Georgia gross pay at the federal floor
| Covered workweek | Gross before tips | 52 identical weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 20 hours | $145.00 | $7,540.00 |
| 40 hours | $290.00 | $15,080.00 |
| 45 hours, ordinary overtime | $344.38 | $17,907.76 |
The 40-hour monthly average is $1,256.67 before taxes and deductions. The overtime example rounds each weekly total to cents before repeating it for 52 weeks. A 30-week, 20-hour schedule instead produces $4,350. None of these figures assumes a guaranteed number of paid weeks.
Georgia’s tipped pay example uses federal eligibility
Georgia’s own minimum-wage law does not cover tipped employees. For an eligible federally covered tipped occupation, the cash floor is $2.13 and the maximum credit is $5.12. Required notice and lawful tip retention or pooling must be satisfied. The employer must cover an insufficient tip amount. DOL tipped-wage table, Georgia note; Georgia DOL tipped-worker guidance.
For 30 tipped hours with $120 retained tips, cash before a shortfall is $63.90. The employer adds $33.60 to bring total gross to $217.50. For 45 hours with $300 tips, the employer’s cash total is $113.98 and gross including tips is $413.98. This latter figure includes the overtime premium on the full $7.25 rate, without increasing the credit for overtime hours.
Count actual work before applying the 40-hour threshold
Georgia’s labor department explains that covered nonexempt employees receive time and a half after 40 hours in a workweek. It also distinguishes short breaks from genuine meal periods. Do not automatically subtract a scheduled lunch when the employee still performed work. The worksheet accepts actual compensable hours, not time-clock totals with unverified meal deductions. Georgia DOL hours and overtime FAQ.
This model excludes special youth and student rates, exempt occupations, salaries and public-contract wages. A manager title or salary alone does not resolve exemption status. If a higher hourly wage is agreed, its overtime calculation should use the applicable regular rate rather than this minimum-floor scenario.
Check the work location for a cross-border job
A Georgia resident employed out of state uses the workplace’s rules: Florida minimum wage, Alabama minimum wage, Tennessee minimum wage, North Carolina minimum wage or South Carolina minimum wage. In particular, Florida’s dated state floor should not be confused with the federal-covered rate used here.
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Updated First published