New Jersey Minimum Wage Calculator
New Jersey’s ordinary minimum goes from $15.92 to $16.48 an hour on January 1, 2027, according to the NJDOL rate chart (checked October 15, 2026). Until then most covered workers have the $15.92 2026 minimum. Small/seasonal non-tipped jobs, farm labor and qualifying long-term-care direct care staff use different schedules.
Time card Calculate pay for a covered hourly job
Weekly gross including tips—
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- 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 using the NJDOL rate chart revised September 2026. The date selector changes the applicable year; a page already discussing 2027 does not make its rate effective during 2026.
2026 and announced 2027 rates by category
| Covered category | 2026 hourly | 2027 hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary minimum | $15.92 | $16.48 |
| Small/seasonal, non-tipped | $15.23 | $16.25 |
| Hourly farm labor | $14.20 | $15 |
| Eligible tipped cash | $6.05 | $6.61 |
| Qualifying long-term-care direct care | $18.92 | $19.48 |
Source: NJDOL current rate chart. At 40 hours, ordinary gross is $636.80 in 2026 and $659.20 in 2027. Repeating those weeks for 52 weeks gives $33,113.60 and $34,278.40, respectively.
Tipped workers do not use the small-employer floor
The statute’s small/seasonal schedule excludes workers who customarily and regularly receive tips. A tipped server at a qualifying small restaurant therefore uses the ordinary/tipped category. The lower non-tipped selection rejects tip entries to prevent combining incompatible rates. N.J.S.A. 34:11-56 a 4(c).
In both reviewed years the maximum credit is $9.87 an hour. At 40 hours with $200 retained tips, the employer adds $194.80 to the initial cash payment: $242 in 2026 or $264.40 in 2027. Combined gross then reaches $636.80 or $659.20. At 45 hours with $600 tips in 2026, employer cash including the premium is $312.05 and gross is $912.05. NJDOL tipped-worker explanation and overtime rule.
Use tips retained after a valid pool. NJDOL says employers cannot take credit-card processing fees from tips. Mixed tipped and non-tipped jobs require separate treatment; this calculator’s credit option requires every entered hour to qualify.
Fewer than six today does not settle small-employer status
The definition uses workforce history: generally fewer than six employees on every working day in a majority of current-year weeks and at least 48 weeks of the preceding year, with separate rules for newly established businesses. The selector requires that classification to be confirmed first. A small branch is not automatically a small employer. 34:11-56 a 1(p).
Seasonal status also has statutory operating-period, receipts or payroll tests. It is not established merely by calling a job temporary. Under the selected ordinary overtime scope, 45 non-tipped hours produce $723.43 in 2026 and $771.88 in 2027.
Long-term care: apply the direct-care definition
The higher floor concerns qualifying licensed or certified professionals employed by a long-term-care facility who directly provide personal care, assistance or treatment to residents in their regular duties. It does not turn every job in every healthcare setting into the direct-care category. 34:11-56 a 1(q) and direct-care wage provisions.
With confirmed ordinary weekly overtime, 45 hours yields $898.70 in 2026 or $925.30 in 2027. An applicable healthcare 8/80 arrangement is outside this model; the selector assumes the ordinary 40-hour workweek.
Hourly farm labor has a different overtime scope
The official wage abstract identifies farm labor among overtime exemptions. The farm option requires an actual agricultural exemption under both applicable laws and pays all entered hours at the posted farm rate. Sixty hours gives $852 in 2026 or $900 in 2027. First processing of farm products is separately listed in the wage orders and cannot automatically use this farm setting. NJDOL wage abstract.
This is an hourly model. The abstract requires a daily minimum comparison for farm piece-rate work; it cannot be audited from one weekly piece-rate total here. Housing, meals, higher agreements and other wage-order requirements also need separate review.
For other work locations, see New York minimum wage, Pennsylvania minimum wage and Delaware minimum wage. Sources · Methodology.
Updated First published